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Mississippi River Commission schedules high-water inspection trip

Mississippi River Commission
Published March 15, 2021
Four stops are scheduled for the Mississippi River Commission's 2021 Highwater Public Hearings:

New Madrid, MO – City Front, 9:00 -12:30p.m., 12 April 2021

Memphis, TN – Beale Street Landing, 9:00 - 12:30p.m., 13 April 2021

Vicksburg, MS – City Front, 1:00 – 4:00p.m., 14 April 2021

New Orleans, LA – Thalia Street Wharf, 9:00 – 12:30p.m., 16 April 2021

Four stops are scheduled for the Mississippi River Commission's 2021 Highwater Public Hearings: New Madrid, MO – City Front, 9:00 -12:30p.m., 12 April 2021 Memphis, TN – Beale Street Landing, 9:00 - 12:30p.m., 13 April 2021 Vicksburg, MS – City Front, 1:00 – 4:00p.m., 14 April 2021 New Orleans, LA – Thalia Street Wharf, 9:00 – 12:30p.m., 16 April 2021

The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River, April 12-16, 2021.

Four public meetings have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI in selected towns along the river.  Commission members will meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues. The meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:

  • April 12           9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.            New Madrid, MO (City Front)
  • April 13           9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.            Memphis, TN (Beale Street Landing)
  • April 14           1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.               Vicksburg, MS (City Front)
  • April 16           9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.            New Orleans, LA (Thalia Street Wharf)

Due to Covid-19 restrictions and local health guidelines, the Mississippi River Commission will employ social distancing standards for the public hearings. For this session, only pre-registered speakers will be allowed to board the MV MISSISSIPPI and provide testimony. The Mississippi River Commission encourages members of the public who do not wish to attend in person to please consider sending testimony for the public record via email to edie.whittington@usace.army.mil. The Commission will accept testimonies for the record until 5:00pm on April 16, 2021.

The Commission, staff and MV MISSISSIPPI crew will undergo daily health screening checks and will wear masks. Additionally, pre-registered speakers wishing to board the MV MISSISSIPPI will be requested to undergo health screenings and may be requested to wear a mask.

The meetings will proceed along the following agenda:

1.  Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional issues affecting the U.S. Army       Corps of Engineers and Commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

2.  District Commander's overview for the Commission on current project issues in the respective area.

3.  Presentations to the Commission by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers.

The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated by the President of the United States and vetted by the Senate. Three of the organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.

General duties of the commission include recommending policy and work programs, studying and reporting on the necessity for modifications or additions to the flood control and navigation project and conducting semi-annual inspection trips. The authority of the commission extends the entire length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Head of Passes, Louisiana, where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. 

The public hearing process is unique to the Mississippi River Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue between watershed interests, the public and the Corps. Presentations by the public are made orally, and a copy of the remarks is presented to the commission for official record and written response.

The benefits of hearing the issues and concerns firsthand through the public hearing process are invaluable to the commission and the Corps. Also, the interaction with congressional, federal and state interests, local boards and non-government organizations and the public is crucial to the decision-making process for the nation’s water resources.

The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states and two Canadian provinces

 

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Contact
MRC Public Affairs Office
601-634-5760
cemvd-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 21-005