MRC To Hold Four Public Meetings This Week

The Mississippi River Commission will hold four public meetings August 22–26 as part of its annual low-water inspection trip.

During the meetings, commission members will meet with local partners, stakeholders and residents to hear their concerns, ideas and issues. The meetings will be held in the conference room aboard the mv. Mississippi.

The schedule is as follows:

• August 22, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Riverside Park, Tiptonville, Tenn.

• August 23, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Beale Street Landing, Memphis, Tenn.

• August 24, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., city front, Vicksburg, Miss.

• August 25, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., port commission dock, Morgan City, La.

All meetings are open to the public. Interested parties are invited to present their views on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control, the Mississippi River & Tributaries project and other water resources challenges.

Meeting Agenda

The agenda for each public meeting is as follows:

1.  Summary report by Maj. Gen. Diana Holland, commander of the Mississippi Valley Engineer Division and president of the commission, on national and regional issues affecting the Corps of Engineers and commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

2.  The local Corps district commander’s overview for the commission on current project issues in the respective area.

3. Presentations to the commission by local organizations and members of the public providing views or comments on any issues affecting the programs or projects of the commission and the Corps of Engineers.

The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated by the president of the United States and vetted by the Senate. Three of the organization’s members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.

General duties of the commission include recommending policy and work programs, studying and reporting on the necessity for modifications or additions to the flood control and navigation project and conducting semi-annual inspection trips. The authority of the commission extends the entire length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minn., to Head of Passes, La.

The commission normally takes two inspection tours each year aboard the mv. Mississippi: the high-water inspection trip in the spring and the low-water trip in the late summer.

For more information, visit www.mvd.usace.army.mil/About/Mississippi-River-Commission-MRC/.