VICKSBURG, Miss. – Approximately 158 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) personnel from throughout the Mississippi Valley Division region continue to respond to flooding from high water levels at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers at Cairo, Illinois, the river is forecast to crest at Cairo April 10 at 54.0 feet.
Public safety is the USACE’s number one priority. As record-breaking river levels recede, we remain vigilant to monitor and rapidly respond to trouble spots. This high-water event requires a team-of-teams approach to flood risk management,” said Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples, commander of the Mississippi Valley Division. “We are working closely with our fellow USACE divisions, industry partners and other government agencies to ensure we’re prepared and synchronized as one unified team. “Unique to the lower valley, the Mississippi River & Tributaries (MR&T) project, the comprehensive flood control project, has provided unprecedented protection during four severe floods in the past decade. Flood control is necessary to achieve energy, economic, food and job security. The MR&T has prevented more than $2.45 trillion in flood damages since 1928, or $114 for every one dollar invested.
The MR&T project consists of five major features: a levee system that includes 3,787 miles of levees and floodwalls; four floodways, including Bonnet Carré, Morganza, Birds Point-New Madrid and the Atchafalaya; channel improvement and stabilization; reservoirs; and tributary basin improvements.
In its 90-year history, the MR&T system has never failed. The system’s ingenious engineering design and modifications over the years, along with the diligence of the men and women who engineer solutions, monitor river stages, and maintain the levees and other features can all be attributed to its successes. Not one MR&T levee, since the projects inception, has ever failed.
News releases and updates can be found on our districts’ and division’s public webpages and social media sites. In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) website is an excellent tool to monitor river stages. We work closely with the NWS, U.S. Geological Service and other federal entities to stay informed and to make decisions affecting water resource management.
National Weather Service (NWS) analyses indicate a high-pressure system moving through the central United States during the first half of this week. This will be followed by a trough moving through the Upper Mississippi and Ohio Basins during the second half of the week.
“While impactful rain is not expected over the mainstem Mississippi, up to an inch could fall over portions of the Ohio Basin,” said Anna Wolverton, senior NWS meteorologist and NWS liaison at the Mississippi Valley Division. “This is not likely to raise the crest of the river at Cairo, but it is possible it could extend the duration of the crest.”
When high-water conditions warrant, MVD maintains daily contact with its sister divisions, the Great Lakes & Ohio River Division (LRD), the Southwestern Division (SWD), and the Northwestern Division (NWD), as well as USACE headquarters. LRD manages the Ohio River system, including the capability of Barkley Lake on the Cumberland River and the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee River, to ease the flood crest in the Cairo area. SWD monitors the river stages on several rivers that flow into the Mississippi River while NWD monitors the Missouri River that joins the Mississippi just above St. Louis.
The Mississippi Valley Division’s Watershed Division is responsible for providing day-to-day oversight and coordination of the Mississippi River’s flow and watershed. Hydrologists and hydraulic engineers from MVD’s six districts, St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg and New Orleans, keep track of river stages in real-time using satellite links to gages. In addition, they coordinate closely with multiple organizations, including the National Weather Service’s official forecast, to provide a picture of current and expected river conditions.
Now that all of the rainfall is on the ground for this event, forecasts have come into focus. Operational decisions are being optimized to provide the most benefit from our Flood Risk Management projects.
Anticipate a broad crest near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers due to additional rainfall and project releases to recover storage for future rain. This broad crest will keep stages elevated for an extended period and susceptible to additional rainfall. Extended elevated stages could also cause impacts in the Yazoo Backwater Area depending on rainfall the rest of April. The Steele Bayou gates will likely close this week causing interior runoff to impound.
Currently there are navigation restrictions on the Mississippi River at LMR 953 – 303 (Caruthersville to Natchez) - The USCG started high water restrictions for the Extreme High Water (30 ft and rising at Memphis gage). Down-Bound restrictions: Nigh-time restriction to tows over 110 ft wide at Memphis and Vicksburg Bridges. Loaded Red Flag barges in a mix tow shall be placed inboard and protected when possible. Up-Bound Restrictions: Maintain an average speed of 3 MPG over the ground for two miles leading up to Memphis and Vicksburg bridges. If a tow is unable to manage a minimum speed of 3 MPG, it must arrange for an assist tug or reduce tow size through the Memphis and Vicksburg bridges. UMR 43 – Thebes Bridge - south-bound tows over 140 ft are limited to daytime transit.
To stay informed, you can find your MVD district under the “Locations” tab at https://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/. Friend us on Facebook @mississippivalleydivision, and Twitter @MVD_USACE.
The Mississippi River drainage basin is the world’s third largest watershed and is home to the largest inland waterway navigation system with more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable channels.
Headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, MVD is responsible for water resources engineering solutions. The mission of the division is to serve the Mississippi Valley region by managing the watersheds and developing collaborative engineering solutions that will reduce risks through the reduction of flood damage potential, maintain and enhance navigation, and protect, restore and enhance environmental ecosystems, while being prepared to respond to regional and national emergencies.