Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-06-28
Delta Flood Control Work.
Boon To North Mississippi

aware of the herculean task on
which the Corps of Engineers have
been working in Mississippi during
the past 10 years in an effort to
tame the temperamental Missis-
sippi River and its tributaries and
afford flood protection to more
than 4 1-3 million acres of fertile
Delta land.
Protection of the Yazoo Delta
Basin, considered one of the most
complex flood control problems in
the United States, has been a con-
slant challenge since pioneers in
the late 1905 carved plantations
from the steaming swamps of the
area now producing the finest cot
ton in the world.
However, natures payoff came
in 1927 with the most disastrous
flood recorded in the history of the
Mississippi River, taking heavy
toll of lives and property.
Until that time, flood control
had been first in charge of indi-
viduals, then under authority of
county and district levee boards.
After the 1927 flood, the National
Congress accepted the problem as
matter of national concern; and
on May 5, 1928, the Flood Control
Act was passed, removing the bur-
den of flood control from the peo-
pie and placing it under the di-
rection of the Corps of Engineers
of the United States Army.
Today the problem is pretty we'll
licked by the Engineers, who have
almost completed two of the four
major projects designed to protect
the vast table-like area extending
in an irregular pattern from Mem
phis southeaStward into North
Central Mississippi and southwest
ward to Vicksburg.
The problems facing the engi-
neers when they took over were
three-fold:
l. Construction of levees to pro-
tect the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta
from the Mississippi River.
2. Improvement of major drain
age for tributaries of the river
system and construction of pro-
tecting levees.
3. Control of the Yazoo Head
water Area by construction of res
ervoirs to regulate the flow of
headwater streams.
The major original problems
were danger from the Mississippi
River and its backwater, and
drainage of the Yazoo Tallahat-
chic Coldwater River System. Of
a total drainage area of 1900
square miles in the latter system,
about $500 square miles lie in rug
ged hill country east of the Delta.
Hill streams in the past contrib
uted a tremendous runoff, far in
excess of capacities of the sluggish
Delta channels to carry it off.
In 1885, for instance, the Cold
water River dumped a peak dis
charge Of about 100000 cubic feet
per second into the Delta for
channel having a capacity of only
$500 cubic feet per second. The
result, of course, was q serious
flood.
Thus these two problems were
tackled first, and both the levee
system and the headwater control
program are today we'll underway,
and total of 10 miles of the Sun
flower River, and AZ miles of
Steele Bayou have undergone
channel improvement work.
But the most spectacular work
of the Engineers is evidenced in
the four giant Headwater Reser-
voirs, two Of which are completed
and the others to be put into op-
ration within the next eighteen
months.
Sardis, completed in 1910 at
cost of $12,890,000, covers q total
area of 98,15S acres, 14,40O acres
of which are considered water area.
Its huge earthen dam impounds
the waters of the Little ITALIA
hatchie River.
Arkabutla, guarding the impet-
uous Coldwater River, was placed
in operation in 1943 after expendi-
ture of $12,065, 900. 1t encompass
es a total area of 36,128 acres,
6,400 of which are water area.
Enid Dam and Reservoir on the
Yokena River, to cost SIS, 900,
is nearing completion and is expec-
ed to be put in operation this Fall.