impactMISSISSIPPI LEVEE BOARD NEWSLETTER “Where People Come First” Spring/Summer 2006 • Vol. 5, No. 1 Corps of Engineers Presents Award to Mississippi Levee Board Board Has Achieved Award For 47 Consecutive Years The Board of Mississippi Levee was organized shortly after the Commissioners held their regularly Civil War in November, 1865. scheduled meeting January 9, The Constitution of the State of 2006, at which time the U.S. Army Mississippi requires the Board to Corps of Engineers presented the protect the Delta from flooding. Mississippi Levee Board the 2005 The Board currently operates and Outstanding Performance Award maintains 163 miles of Mainline for Operation and Maintenance of Mississippi River Levee, the 13- Flood Control Projects. Lt. Colonel mile Brunswick Extension Levee, William L. Burruss, Deputy the 28-mile Yazoo Backwater District Engineer of the Vicksburg Levee and the 8-mile Greenville District, commended the Board on Harbor Dike. The Board also has achieving this distinction for 47 the maintenance responsibility Lt. Col. William L. Burruss, Deputy District Engineer for the Vicksburg District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, presents Fred Ballard, President of the Mississippi Levee consecutive years. The Board of for 350 miles of interior streams Board, the 2005 Outstanding Performance Award for Operation and Maintenance of Mississippi Levee Commissioners located throughout the Delta. g Flood Control Projects. LEGISLATIVE ISSUES State - Eminent Domain: Proposed State Legislation The Mississippi House and where right of way is needed, to for the Board due to the long- Senate introduced several pieces negotiate with willing sellers. A term nature of planning for of legislation during the 2006 prime stumbling block for the enlargement projects. The Session concerning eminent Board in House Bill 100 was a Corps of Engineers currently domain. The Mississippi Levee feature that called for the resale has levee projects scheduled Board has used eminent domain to the original owner of property in our district out to 2032. over its 141-year history to acquire acquired through eminent The conference bill, which right of way for levee enlargement domain proceedings if after thirty ultimately died in committee, or relocation projects. While it years that property had not been finally had language to protect As written in the is a tool that is still available, used for its intended purpose. This the Mississippi Levee Board from Clarion-Ledger, January 4, 2006 the Board would prefer, in cases could have had profound impacts this resale requirement. g Federal - MR&T Project: Continuing Contracts & Reprogramming Authorities Levee Board Elections On the national level the Hobson (R-OH) inserted crippling the funds in place. This Set for June 6, 2006 2006 Water Resources and language in the FY 2006 Conference meant that the Corps Development Act provided for Report that has prevented the could begin construction Levee Board elections will be record funding levels to the Corps from using the funds. The on an authorized multi- held June 6, 2006. Levee Board Com- MR&T Project so that the Corps of language greatly restricts the year project by funding missioners serve four-year terms. Engineers can continue with our Reprogramming Authority, which the work that would Four Commissioners are up for vital levee and berm enlargement allows the Corps to shift money reasonably be performed elections this year: Washington projects. However, the House from a project that is behind in one year. These changes County Commissioner Johnny Rob- E n e r g y schedule to a project that is ahead have effectively stopped inson, Bolivar County Commission- and Water of schedule. The Conference Report Item 474L, a 3.4 mile levee er Nott Wheeler, Jr., Humphreys Resources also eliminated the Continuing enlargement project in County Commissioner Kenny Rod- Committee, Contracts Clause, which allowed Issaquena County, which gers, and Sharkey County Commis- chaired by the Corps to start construction was scheduled to start in g Rep. David on a project prior to having all of April 2006. g sioner Laurance Carter. 1 Levee Board and Port officials Levee Board Attends in front of U.S. Capitol. Meetings in Washington, D.C. Annual meeting with the & Berms project, the status of the Big Mississippi Congressional Sunflower River Maintenance Project Delegation seeks and the Yazoo Backwater Project. Funding requests for projects within the appropriations for flood Mississippi Delta as well as objections control projects. to restrictions placed on the U. S. Army The Mississippi Levee Board traveled Corps of Engineers reprogramming to Washington, D. C. and met with the authority and the elimination of the Mississippi Congressional Delegation Corps continuing contract during March 27-29, 2006. This annual clause were also presented to the trip provides the delegation with a Delegation. status update of ongoing flood control On Wednesday, March 29, projects in the Mississippi Delta and is the Mississippi Levee Board Senator Trent Lott an opportunity for the Levee Board to contingent attended the discuss funding requirements for U. Mississippi River Congressional S. Army Corps of Engineers projects Caucus Hearing chaired by Rep. in the Mississippi Delta. Members Kenny Hulshof (R-MO). Rep. of the Greenville and Rosedale Port Jo Ann Emerson (R- MO) was also in Commissions also attended congressional attendance. Mississippi Levee Board meetings with the Levee Board. President Fred A. Ballard, Jr., testified During the visits with the on behalf of the Mississippi Levee Congressional Delegation, Chief Board, the YMD Levee Board, the Saint Engineer Peter Nimrod provided Francis Levee District, West Memphis, updates on the existing Mainline Arkansas and the Little River Drainage Congressman Roger Wicker Mississippi River Levee Enlargement District, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. g Mississippi River Commission High Water Inspection Trip Members of the Mississippi River Commission listen to Chief Engineer Peter Nimrod’s oral testimony during the High Water Inspection on April 5, 2006 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Members shown are Clifford Smith, Sam Angel, Brig. Gen. Robert Crear (President of the MRC), R.D. James, and Rear Adm. Samuel DeBow. Public Information Campaign Activities Making the public aware of the Mississippi Levee Board’s responsibilities and fostering better public appreciation and care of the levee system is the goal of the public information effort. The Levee Board publishes this newsletter, sponsors “River Stages” on our local television stations WABG-TV and WXVT-TV and supports the staff’s PowerPoint presentations to civic clubs and schools in our Washington County Leadership Class - January 11, 2006 levee district to educate and keep our citizens updated about our flood protection work. Com- missioner Johnny Robinson is chairman of the public information committee. g Delta State University - MS Rivers Course - February 6, 2006 History America Tour - “Deluge in the Delta” - March 11, 2006 February 15, 2006 - Kent Parrish (Vicksburg District), Peter Nimrod, Greenville Rotary Club - March 9, 2006 Hiroki Ishikawa (Japan) and Steve Ellis (Vicksburg District). Mr. Ishikawa is Chief Official of the River Planning Division in Japan and is part of a technology Greenville Chamber of exchange between the US Corps Commerce “First Friday” of Engineers and Japan. - November 4, 2005 2 Turkey Habitat on the Mainline Levee by Trey Cooke, Executive Director Man is certainly the primary resources from preferred roost beneficiary of the Mississippi sites without having to expend River Levee System. However, additional energy to travel there are countless other ben- farther from historical roosting eficiaries, including the Eastern areas. Wild Turkey. Riverside turkey The greatest single benefit populations benefit from the our levee system provides to levee systems in a number of local turkey populations can ways. be identified several years Flood protection is the after significant maintenance primary purpose of the levee has occurred. Many types of system. For man, this protection maintenance take place on the is mandatory. For turkeys, flood levee. But whenever disturbance protection is equally important. takes place at the toe of the levee Photo Courtesy Giles W. Kelly During high water periods, or around “bar pits” in association turkeys can find refuge on high with levee maintenance, ridges on the unprotected side of the disturbed areas begin the levee and hop from one ridge to grow up in weeds and to another by flight. However, young trees. These thick in lower elevations and during and weedy areas provide periods of extreme high water, excellent turkey nesting turkeys often find themselves habitats. In the bottomland seeking refuge on the levee itself hardwood forests between or in small, scattered forests the levee and river, adjacent to the levee on the preferred nesting habitat protected side. Without the levee, are often in short supply. riverside turkeys would have Disturbance associated to fly for miles to seek refuge with levee maintenance during high water periods. often creates such habi- “Bar pits” have also benefited tats, providing excellent local turkey populations up and nesting cover and brood down the river. Huge amounts rearing areas. g of dirt were “barrowed” to build our current levee system. The de- pressions left in the “barrowed” areas are now most commonly called “bar pits.” Many of these “bar pits” can now be identified Turkeys at the toe of as wetlands and lakes at the foot the mainline levee. of the levee on the unprotected side. Many of these wetlands and lakes dry up during the summer months to expose a buffet of food for wild turkeys. Buffet items include insects, invertebrates, frogs, and seeds from moist soil plants like wild millet. In addition to the vast food resources that “bar pits” provide turkeys, they also provide excellent roost sites. Riverside turkeys, and turkeys throughout the Southeast for that matter, prefer to roost over water. This provides them with a sense of security during the night. The vast bottomlands between the levee and river typically have plenty of wetlands and lakes for turkeys to roost over.