Mississippi River study focus of public meetings
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to host public scoping meetings for the Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study (LMR Comp) at venues throughout the study area between Feb. 27 and March 11.
The meetings will consist of a remote overview presentation and followed by an on-site open house to meet with and collect input from the public.
Locations for the meetings include Cairo and Cape Girardeau.
The meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Feb. 27 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Harold S. Jones Fine Arts Center, 815 Commercial Ave., Cairo.
Feb. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Nature Center, 2289 County Park Dr., Cape Girardeau.
The LMR Comp is a five-year, $25 million mega-study that will deliver recommendations for effective and practical management of the Mississippi River from Cape Girardeau to the Gulf of Mexico.
The purpose of the study is to identify recommendations for the comprehensive management of the region across multiple purposes, including: hurricane and storm damage reduction, flood risk management, structure and nonstructural flood control, floodplain management strategies, navigation, ecosystem and environmental restoration, water supply, hydropower production, recreation, and other purposes as determined by the Secretary of the Army.
The study area encompasses seven states: Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
Because of the size and scope of the study, active participation and collaboration from the public and stakeholders throughout the five-year endeavor will be critical to identifying practical and sustainable recommendations for successful management of the river.
Written comments related to the Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Management Study may also be submitted to:
USACE-MVN, LMRComp C/O Project Management, 7400 Leake Ave., New Orleans, La. 70118; or by email to LMRComp@usace.army.mil.
More information about the study can be found online at www.mvn.usace.army.mil/About/LMRComp/.