Hinds Today

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has called for the prioritization of two critical Mississippi flood control projects, the Arkabutla Lake dam and the Yazoo Backwater Area Pumps. The senator's focus on these projects was made during a Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the FY2025 budget requests for the Army Corps and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

"For Mississippi and the nation, getting the Army Corps of Engineers budget right is important. The Corps is tasked with addressing some of our nation’s toughest challenges. We rely on the Corps to do its job, and to do it well—swiftly and effectively," said Hyde-Smith.

Hyde-Smith expressed concern for the 19,000 residents, farmers, and businesses in Tate and DeSoto counties that depend on the compromised Arkabutla Lake dam for flood protection. She sought assurances that a future emergency supplemental appropriations request includes Arkabutla dam remediation costs for what could be "a multi-year, multimillion-dollar endeavor."

"A depression was found near the base of the dam last year, igniting major concerns if left untreated," she stated. She quoted a Corps risk assessment summary which said: "If Arkabutla Dam breached or failed, flood waters would be deep and swift enough to damage and destroy homes, buildings, roads, bridges, and power and water supplies and even cause loss of life."

Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works assured Hyde-Smith that the Army Corps will be "very prepared to participate in those discussions based on needs, risk, and ongoing expenditures we have to deal with emergencies."

Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, Chief of Engineers at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers detailed interim risk reduction work at Arkabutla dam including surveillance activities as well as efforts to provide updates to community members.

Hyde-Smith also confirmed that the Army Corps of Engineers, along with other federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, remain on track to advance the environmental impact reviews required to construct pumps and other flood control measures for the Yazoo Backwater Area of the Mississippi Delta.

Connor confirmed Hyde-Smith’s understanding that a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) could be released for public comment in the next "30 to 45 days," and that a final EIS could be published this fall. He said, "The goal is to, by late fall in the calendar year, to have this process concluded."

Hyde-Smith has been a driving force behind pushing the federal government to complete the pumping stations for the region as authorized under the Flood Control Act of 1941. The Yazoo Backwater pumps represent the last unmet federal commitment to help protect a 630,000-acre region in the South Delta.