The Memphis District received an order issued Sept. 13, 2007, by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, directing us to stop work on the St. Johns/New Madrid Project – a major flood control effort for the region. District officials in turn immediately directed our contractor to cease all work in order to comply with the Court’s instructions.
     We will consider our options after we have had time to study Judge James Robertson’s opinion, Corps officials here said after receiving the news. The Corps and the Justice Department are currently reviewing the Judge’s decision but at press time no determination has been made as to what the government’s next step will be.

     In his decision, Judge Robertson ruled against the Corps of Engineers on our fish impacts analysis and mitigation plan and concluded our National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process should be set aside on that basis. The court also questioned our decision to find the project fully in compliance with the Clean Water Act.
     The St. Johns Bayou and New Madrid Floodway Project is a flood control project designed to protect the region from backwater flooding from the Mississippi River and to reduce headwater flooding in the vicinity of Pinhook and East Prairie, Mo. The project also allows for the management of water based natural- and recreational-resources made by the flood control structures and management.
     In a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, said, “The ultimate goal remains to protect the community of Pinhook, Mo., and residents in Mississippi, New Madrid and Scott counties from dangerous floods.”
     Emerson continued by saying, “They deserve flood protection just as much as folks in urban areas like St. Louis and Louisville.”    
     In East Prairie, Mo., City Administrator Lonnie Thurmond also voiced his disappointment in the ruling.
     “Oh man, that’s terrible for us,” he was quoted as saying in Cape Girardeau’s Southeast Missourian. “This thing has been going on for decades. We’ve come so far.”
     As with all our projects, the Corps seeks a balance and synergy among human development activities and natural systems by offering an environmentally sustainable solution that supports and reinforces the needs of both. Cost alone is never the only factor taken into account when the Corps studies or designs a project.

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Memphis District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Office 167 North Main St. Memphis, TN 38103 (901) 544-3360