Old Man River has reached its peak this week and is already on the decline.
Mississippi Levee Board Chief Engineer Peter Nimrod said the Mississippi River on the Greenville gauge crested at 50 feet Monday — two feet higher than flood stage — and stayed steady throughout the day.
Earlier in the month, Nimrod said they were anticipating the river to reach higher levels than it actually did.
“We weren’t in too bad of shape at all,” he said. “Fifty feet is not a big deal.”
After staying flat for a while, the river levels began dropping some on Tuesday, reaching 49.8 feet by Tuesday afternoon, and is expected to drop below flood stage by the weekend.
“Greenville looks like it will drop below flood stage this weekend,” Nimrod said.
As a result of this month’s flooding, Warfield Point Park saw some flooding, as well as some areas along the levee front, including Trop Casino’s parking garage.
Buildings and Grounds director Donald Davis said Warfield Point Park closed its doors when the river reached 46 feet and won’t reopen until the river drops below 45 feet and crews go in to asses the area.
“Once it gets below 45 feet, we will go back in, check things out and do a little clean up,” he said, noting he doesn’t anticipate seeing any major damage as a result of this flood event.
Other areas along the Mississippi River also experienced some flooding.
Arkansas City crested Sunday at 38.6 feet and their flood stage is a little higher than their 37-foot flood stage; and Vicksburg crested at 46.2 feet Tuesday, which is a few feet higher than their 43-foot flood stage.
The Backwater was at 92.9 feet as of Tuesday afternoon and is expected to crest at 93 feet, which is causing flooding issues for thousands of acres of land in the South Delta region. The Steele Bayou Structure Gates are currently closed and expected to reopen by this weekend.
“At 93 feet, there are 370,000 acres flooded in the Mississippi South Delta,” Nimrod said, noting the Yazoo Backwater Pumps would be helpful in times like this.
“If we had the Yazoo Backwater Pumps in place, instead of cresting at 93 feet, the pumps would have lowered the crest by 5 feet down to 88 feet. Instead of 370,000 acres flooded, it would be flooded to 226,000 acres.”
The Yazoo Backwater Pump project was the final component of a project started in the 1960s and authorized by Congress with the creation of the 1941 Flood Control Act. This act was put into motion following the great 1927 flood, which devastated numerous states. Pressure from environmental groups has put a halt to its completion, which many believe caused the record-breaking stagnant flooding this year. Many people across the South Delta have placed signs that read “#finishthepumps.”
