AnnualReport_FY2011_Other

41-1\nMISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION∗\n∗ Authorizing legislation (Tables 41-D and 41-E) is listed at the end of this chapter. All other tables are referenced\nin text and also appear at the end of the chapter.\nThe Mississippi River Commission (MRC) was\ncreated by an act of Congress on June 28, 1879. The\nFlood Control Act of May 15, 1928, authorized the\nFlood Control, Mississippi River and Tributaries\n(MR&T) Project. The Commission consists of three\nofficers of the Corps of Engineers, one from the former\nCoast and Geodetic Survey (presently the National\nOceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and three\ncivilians, two of whom must be civil engineers. All\nmembers are appointed by the President with the advice\nand consent of the Senate.\nThe MRC has a proud heritage that dates back to\nJune 28, 1879. Congress established the seven-member\npresidential Commission with the mission to transform\nthe Mississippi River into a reliable commercial artery,\nwhile protecting adjacent towns and fertile agricultural\nlands from destructive floods. The 1879 legislation that\ncreated MRC granted the body extensive planning\nauthority and jurisdiction on the Mississippi River\nstretching from its headwaters at Lake Itasca to the\nHead of Passes, near its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico.\nThe MRC quickly assumed the role of an active Federal\nagent capable of transcending the regional issues that\nhad previously hampered the development of a more\neffective river improvement system. The Commission\nbegan improving the navigation channel to promote\ncommerce, setting standards for levee construction, and\nholding public hearings to give local interests a greater\nvoice in shaping Federal policy.\nIn its current capacity, the MRC prosecutes the\nMR&T project authorized by the 1928 Flood Control\nAct. The MRC is focused on watershed priorities and\nis carrying out a 200-year working vision.\nThe MR&T project employs a variety of\nengineering techniques, including an extensive levee\nsystem to prevent disastrous overflows on developed\nalluvial lands; floodways to safely divert excess flows\npast critical reaches so that the levee system will not be\nunduly stressed; channel improvements and\nstabilization features to protect the integrity of flood\ncontrol measures and ensure proper alignment and\ndepth of the navigation channel; and tributary basin\nimprovements to include levees, headwater reservoirs,\nand pumping stations that maximize the benefits\nrealized on the main stem by expanding flood\nprotection coverage and improving drainage into\nadjacent areas within the alluvial valley.\nSince its initiation, the MR&T project has brought\nan unprecedented degree of flood protection to the\napproximate 4 million people living in the\n35,000-square-mile project area within the lower\nMississippi Valley. The Nation has contributed roughly\n$14,000,000,000 toward the planning, construction,\noperation, and maintenance of the project. To date, the\nNation has received a 34 to 1 return on that investment,\nincluding $478,000,000,000 in flood damages\nprevented.\nThe MRC continued its 130-year process of\nlistening to the concerns of partners and stakeholders in\nthe Mississippi Valley, inspecting the challenges posed\nby the river, and partnering to find sustainable\nengineering solutions to those challenges through the\n2011 High-Water Inspection (385th Session of MRC)\nand the 2011 Low-Water Inspection (386th Session).\nDuring the fiscal year, MRC listened to, inspected\nalongside, partnered, and evaluated engineering\nsolutions with more than 2000 stakeholders, state\nrepresentatives, non-government organization\nrepresentatives, and local interests. The official record\nof the Proceedings of MRC, complete with recorded\nhearings of public meetings, copies of signed formal\nstatements provided by the public, executive summaries\nof the Proceedings, and other documents of\nsignificance, are kept on file in the Office of the\nPresident in Vicksburg, Mississippi.\nThe mission of MRC includes balancing the\nrequirements of flood control, navigation and the\nenvironment by providing water resource engineering\ndirection and policy advice to the Administration,\nCongress, and the Army in a drainage basin that\ncomprises 41 percent of the United States and parts of\ntwo Canadian provinces, and leads sustainable\nmanagement and development of water and related\nresources for the Nation’s benefit and the people's\nwell-being.\nREPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY ON CIVIL WORKS ACTIVITIES FOR FY 2011\n41-2\nThe basin drains 41 percent of the US: - 31 States,\n2 Canadian Providences\n- Since August 1997, MRC has resumed its\ninspection of upper Mississippi River. The\nCommission conducted a listening and\ninspection tour of the Ohio River Basin in\n2005 and 2011, the Missouri River Basin in\n2007, the Illinois River Watershed in 2009,\nand the Arkansas River Basin in 2010, all in an\neffort to share and learn from experiences from\nthe watershed management of those tributary\nbasins.\n- Stakeholders and the public have requested\nMRC involvement in major studies and\nprojects.\n- For projects and studies that require a broad\nwatershed approach with multiple levels of\ninterest, MRC’s authorities, resources, and\nrelationships continue to prove effective.\nThe MRC provides a valuable forum, voice, and\npartner for diverse interests throughout the basin;\nimplementation oversight for a range of water resource\nactivities and comprehensive management of the\nMR&T project; an established record of expertise and\naccomplishment; a clear charter that includes the entire\nwatershed; an avenue to task U.S. Army Corps and\nNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration\n(NOAA) for equipment and personnel; and working\nrelationships with the Chief of Engineers, the Assistant\nSecretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASA(CW)), and\nCongress to address challenges and make\nimprovements in the watershed.\nThe MRC is charged, under direction of the\nSecretary of the Army and supervision of the Chief of\nEngineers, with prosecution of improvements for flood\ncontrol of the Mississippi River and its tributaries and\noutlets in its alluvial valley, so far as they are affected\nby Mississippi River backwater, between Head of\nPasses, LA (mile 0), and Cape Girardeau, MO\n(1,006 miles AHP-Lower Mississippi mileage termi-nates\nat mile 954 AHP), and with prosecution of\nimprovements in the interest of navigation between\nCairo, IL (954 miles AHP), and Baton Rouge, LA\n(234 miles AHP); and for stabilization of the lower\n7 miles of the right bank of the Ohio River, to former\nmouth of Cache River. It also is charged with prosecu-tion\nof certain flood control works on the Mississippi\nRiver and tributaries, as far as they are affected by\nbackwater, between Cape Girardeau and Rock Island,\nIL (1,437 miles AHP), and with prosecution of\nimprovements on designated tributaries and outlets\nbelow Cape Girardeau for flood control, navigation,\nmajor drainage, and related water uses. Authorized\noperations of MRC below Cape Girardeau are\nconducted by District Engineers of New Orleans,\nVicksburg, Memphis, and St. Louis Districts within the\nareas described below, in accordance with approved\ndirectives and programs and congressional\nappropriations therefore.\n385th Session of MRC\nThe Mississippi River conducted its 385th session\nfrom April 10-15, 2010, onboard the MV MISSISSIPPI\nen route from Hickman, KY, to New Orleans, LA, as\npart of the annual high-water inspection trip. The MRC\nheld public hearings at Cairo, Memphis, TN;\nGreenville, MS; and New Orleans. More than\n220 members of the public attended the public\nmeetings.\nThe members of the Mississippi River Commission\npresent during the 385th session included\nMG Michael J. Walsh, nominated as President of the\nMississippi River Commission on March 14, 2011;\nHonorable Sam E. Angel, reappointed as a member on\nDecember 30, 2010; Honorable R. D. James, Civil\nEngineer, reappointed as a member on April 16, 2003;\nHonorableWilliam Clifford Smith, Civil Engineer,\nappointed October 22, 1998; RADM Jonathan Bailey,\nNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,\nMISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION\n41-3\nnominated as a member on March 14, 2011; MG John\nW. Peabody, Commander, Great Lakes and Ohio River\nDivision (LRD), designated as member on August 4,\n2008; and BG John McMahon, Commander,\nNorthwestern Division, designated as a member on\nNovember 20, 2009: and COL George T. Shepard\nserved as Secretary of the Commission which is a\nnonvoting position.\nOn Sunday, April 11, the 384th Session convened\nonboard the MV MISSISSIPPI in Cairo.\nCOL Vernon Reichling, Commander of the Memphis\nDistrict, provided a detailed briefing on the status,\nschedules, and issues of MR&T projects within his area\nof operations. COL Reichling reported that the process\nfor delivering a final Environmental Impact Statement\nfor the St. John’s Bayou – New Madrid Floodway\nproject is on schedule to be completed by December\n2012. In completing that process, a new issue has\ndeveloped. The Memphis District partnered with the\nEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete a\nwetland assessment within the project area. The EPA\nconcluded that there are 118,000 acres of farmed\nwetlands in the project area which is significantly\ngreater than the Natural Resources Conservation\nService (NRCS) estimate of 520 acres. COL Reichling\nhas written the EPA director for this region to discuss\ntheir methodology used to estimate the acreage figures.\nThe District has scheduled a meeting with EPA during\nthe first week of May to discuss the issue further.\nOn Monday, April 12, the Commission held a\npublic meeting in Hickman. More than 55 members of\nthe public braved the heavy rains in the area to attend\nthe meeting and present their concerns to the\nCommission. The purpose of the public meeting was to\nmaintain a di

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