Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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US Army Corps of Engineers

Memphis District Website

District News

Innovation | Special training sharpens Memphis District’s focus on excellence in project delivery

7/16/2025

To enhance project delivery and improve team integration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District recently held the inaugural training event titled “Project Delivery Business Process...

Partnerships | St. Francis Levee District awarded for years of outstanding maintenance

7/16/2025

For 68 consecutive years, the St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas has earned the Memphis District Outstanding Maintenance Award for maintaining its 160-mile portion of the mainline Mississippi...

District completes $1.5M channel maintenance project, repairs revetment

7/14/2025

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District Project Manager Zach Cook and Project Delivery Team members completed a revetment stone repairs project, July 12, in partnership with Commercial Towing...

Ribbon Cutting | Grand Prairie Electrical Substation

6/30/2025

WINNING—safely delivering a quality project on time and within budget—is now a done deal for the $15.7M Grand Prairie Electrical Substation Project. Project Manager Billy Grantham and his awesome...

Recognition || Memphis Assistant District Counsel earns national recognition

6/20/2025

On June 11, 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief Counsel’s Office recognized Seth Rowland, assistant district counsel for the Memphis District, with the Joseph W. Kimbel Award for Professional...

The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River, Mar. 23-27, 2026. The Commission has scheduled four public meetings aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi in select towns along the river.

Members of the Commission will meet with local partners, stakeholders, and residents at scheduled times to hear the public provide testimony. Commission members will hear any comments, concerns, and/or suggestions presented at that time as well.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District marked three major infrastructure milestones in eastern Arkansas, Mar. 3, 2026. The events included groundbreaking ceremonies for the Grand Prairie Region Project and the Bayou Meto Basin Project and a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the successful installation of three new gearboxes at Graham Burke Pumping Station.

All three achievements reflect significant advances in safeguarding Arkansas's water resources and the communities that rely on these critical water supplies.

The USACE Memphis District awarded a $6 million contract to Vixen, LLC, for completion of the Grand Prairie Pump Station Inlet Channel, marking the final component necessary to fully realize water delivery for the Grand Prairie Project.

Completing the inlet channel is essential to the agricultural community in the Grand Prairie region. With approximately 50,000 acres set to receive water in Phase One, the project will help preserve the region’s agricultural productivity while reducing pressure on the declining Alluvial Aquifer.

The contract will finalize construction of the inlet channel, which was previously designed with construction plans and specifications completed in 2009.

This presidentially appointed Mississippi River Commission (MRC) holds a low-water and a high-water inspection trip along the Mississippi River each year aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi.

The Memphis District Commander, Col. John L. Morrow delivered remarks to commission members and meeting attendees for the first time, Aug. 18. Remarks covered district projects and programs specific to the Memphis District. Morrow also provided remarks at the Aug. 19 and 20 hearings later in the week.

MRC trips serve several key purposes, one being to provide a forum for commission members to engage with the public, partners, and other key stakeholders on river- and navigation-related issues, challenges, and opportunities. These trips are crucial for ensuring the public's voice is heard by USACE leadership as it is later used to shape decisions affecting the Mississippi River and surrounding areas.

The information and perspectives shared during the public hearings are invaluable to the MRC and the Corps for making informed decisions regarding the nation's water resources.

In a Change of Command Ceremony held on July 11, at the Crosstown Concourse Theater in Memphis, Col. John L. Morrow assumed command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Memphis District. Mississippi Valley Division Commander and Mississippi River Commission President Maj. Gen. Kimberly A. Peeples presided over the ceremony.

The change of command ceremony is a military tradition that formally signifies the transfer of authority and responsibility from one commanding officer to another, symbolized through the passing of the unit’s colors or flag.

Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples toured the Grand Prairie Pumping Station Project on May 2.

The $18M construction contract to complete the Grand Prairie Pumping Station was awarded to contractor partner C.J. Mahan Construction Company, LLC. The Project Delivery Team led by Project Manager Billy Grantham and our non-federal project partner, the White River Irrigation District, are on track to safely deliver a quality project on time and within budget.

The Grand Prairie Pumping Station Project is a part of the larger Grand Prairie Area Demonstration Project (GPADP) located in the Eastern Arkansas Grand Prairie Region. GPADP is a comprehensive water management plan designed to deliver surface water to farmers and reduce the use of groundwater from the Alluvial and Sparta Aquifers.

The Grand Prairie Pumping Station will pull surface water from the White River near De Valls Bluff, Arkansas, and deliver it though a system of reservoirs, canals, and pipelines to irrigate about 40,000 acres of rice fields. This supplemental system is designed to fill on-farm reservoirs that store the water, which supplies a portion of each farmers' irrigation needs.

Project Manager Jairus Stroupe and his outstanding DD17 Pumping Plane Engine Replacement Project Delivery Team recently reached the Project Completion milestone with our partners, Drainage District 17 of Mississippi County, Arkansas, and contractor A&H-Ambica JV, LLC.

This very important $5.1M project replaced all three DD17 Pumping Plant engines. The DD17 Pumping Plant, located near Blytheville, Arkansas, serves to pump rainwater over the St. Francis levee system during periods of flooding. This pumping plant is part of the broader efforts by the Memphis District to manage water levels and prevent flood damage in the area.

The 700 cubic feet per second Pumping Plant, within the St. Francis Basin, protects over 30 square miles in Mississippi County, Arkansas. The original Waukesha engines that were replaced had been in service since the plant started operation in 1981. Engine replacement was critical since Waukesha engines are obsolete with replacement parts unavailable. The engines were replaced with modern 1,000 horsepower Caterpillar engines.

Mississippi Valley Division Commander Maj. Gen. Kimberly Peeples toured the Grand Prairie Pumping Station Project, May 2, along with Memphis District Commander Col. Brian Sawser, Deputy District Engineer for Programs and Project Management Donny Davidson, Project Manager Billy Grantham, contractor C.J. Mahan Construction Company, and project partner White River Irrigation District. Representatives from U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton's office, U.S. Sen. John Boozman, and U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, also toured the project area.

IN THE PHOTO, the Dredge Hurley is now docked at Ensley Engineer Yard after another long but successful season of dredging the Mississippi River. Adrian Pirani, Dredge Hurley master, said the crew successfully removed a little more than 8 million cubic yards of sediment this season. The season was shorter than last year due to the Hurley needing maintenance done, which required the Hurley be placed on a larger dry dock down south for a few months earlier this year. (USACE photos by Jessica Haas)

The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River, April 8-12, 2024. The commission has scheduled four public meetings aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi in selected towns along the river.

Members of the commission will meet with local partners, stakeholders, and residents. During the scheduled time for the public to provide testimony, commission members will hear comments and concerns, as well as any and all ideas and suggestions presented at that time.

The Commission and the Corps value the opportunity to hear issues and concerns firsthand through the public hearing process. Interaction with congressional, federal, and state interests, local boards, 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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In the Media

Memphis District breaks ground on Greenbelt Landing recreational improvement project

3/30/2026

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District held a groundbreaking ceremony this afternoon to mark the start of construction work on Greenbelt Landing, located at the north end of Mud...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers seeks public comments on potential future changes to the nationwide permits

3/18/2026

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced on March 16 that it is seeking input from all interested parties on ways to increase the efficiency of the nationwide permit program...

Mississippi River Commission to conduct public hearings during annual high water inspection trip

3/12/2026

The Mississippi River Commission will take its mission to riverside communities this spring, hosting four public hearings as part of its 2026 High-Water Inspection trip and public hearings, March 23 -...

Groundbreakings, ribbon cutting indicate progress on eastern Arkansas groundwater, flood protection initiatives

3/5/2026

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Memphis District marked three major infrastructure milestones in eastern Arkansas yesterday, Mar. 3, 2026. The events included groundbreaking ceremonies for...

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works announces ‘Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork’ initiative for the Army’s Civil Works program

2/23/2026 UPDATED

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam R. Telle announced a major initiative, “Building Infrastructure, Not Paperwork,” for the Army’s Civil Works program, Feb. 23, 2026.“Building...

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