#MemphisDistrictMovingDirt
Memphis District Commander Col. Zachary Miller visited the Trotters Seepage Remediation Project on Aug. 26 to view work progress. The work site is located in Tunica County, Miss., near the community of Trotters.
The project’s purpose is to reduce seepage under the Mississippi River levee to protected areas and prevent sand boil activity during periods of high water. The contractor, VuConn, LLC, is building a compacted earthen berm in an approximately 47-acre area in the bend of the levee. They are also installing six relief wells to relieve pressure in the aquifer during periods of high water. The existing drainage ditches will direct water to a pump station south of the project area where it can be transferred back into the river.
“The contractor will be moving nearly 500,000 cubic yards of dirt by the time the project is completed,” Col. Miller said. “That’s a lot of dirt!”
The local partner for the project is the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.
As of a few days ago the contractor had placed about 182,000 cubic yards of compacted earth to construct the berm and is currently ahead of schedule. Project Manager Ken Bright said he expects the contractor to complete excavation work on the $3.7 million project by the end of November 2019.