WHY?

Floods in the Mississippi South Delta imperil lives, homes, roads and farming, and prevent school buses, police and fire protection, and emergency medical personnel from reaching the homes of many South Deltans. The Project will protect the community from devastating flood damage, fulfilling a 60 year promise by the federal government.

Recognizing this need, the Mississippi Levee Board has worked towards a Project that, when completed, will greatly reduce flooding damage in a six-county area of the South Mississippi Delta, saving lives and property while improving the wildlife habitat of the area.

The Yazoo Backwater Project area fills up like a sealed tub during high Mississippi River flood times. While the Yazoo levees and a structure at Steele Bayou protect the South Delta from direct Mississippi River flooding, flood water from all or part of 10 counties drains into the South Delta, and can't flow naturally into the Mississippi River when it is at high flood stages. The Project pumping station will remove high water until the Mississippi River recedes.

The Yazoo Backwater Project is flood control for the 21st century, combining effective structures with reforestation and conservation measures to enhance natural resources. The Project combines reforesting 55,600 acres of cleared agricultural land for wetlands and wildlife with water management to reduce the extent and duration of flooding. . When complete, the Project will reduce the threat of flooding in the South Delta, protecting lives and property while improving the wildlife habitat of the area.

The Project has been studied exhaustively since the 1970's, in multiple reports. Every environmental and economic study through all the years has demonstrated that the Project is needed and justified.Congress has consistently supported and funded the Project.