Quality Assurance photo of the Locust Creek project site in Craighead County, Arkansas. The creek is part of the St. Francis River Basin and required approximately 12,000 linear feet of sediment removal. A $1,289,305 contract was awarded to Innovative Performance Construction Company to complete the needed two miles of excavation. "The purpose of this project was to improve drainage along the Locust Creek area," Wynn Area Office Civil Engineer Jason Britt said. "Improvements to drainage will reduce standing water upstream of the project area, thereby reducing the amount of standing water against the levees." To clear the creek, the contractor removed material from the channel using a dragline before placing the excavated material in the levee as Excavated Material Embankment (EME). In partnership with the St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas, construction began on Oct. 15, 2021. It was declared substantially complete on Jul. 9, 2022.