Lyn Gates opened her doors on a lovely spring day for a living room of ladies ready to hear all about the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board.
YMD Chief Engineer Bill Sheppard presented a most educational slide presentation detailing all of the planning and preparation that goes into flood prevention.
There are two levee boards in the Mississippi Delta. The first one was established in 1865 as the first act of the Mississippi Legislature following the Civil War. The Mississippi Levee Board is located in Greenville.
The Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Levee Board was established in 1884 following the flood of 1882. The YMD board is located in Clarksdale.
The Greenville board is responsible for 212 miles of levee and 350 miles of interior streams.
The YMD Levee Board out of Clarksdale is responsible for 122 miles of levee and 350 miles of interior streams.
YMD is one of 22 original levee boards back almost 100 years ago when the levee boards had to purchase the land that the levee sat upon totaling 30,000 acres. As a result of that long-ago decision, today they have one of the lowest tax levies.
With owning the land, they were able to generate income by leasing land for cattle grazing and hunt clubs, and invest in specialized sandbagging machinery that pays for itself with the ability to fill 700 bags an hour when operating at maximum efficiency.
The 1927 flood awakened the need for a comprehensive program to control the Mississippi River. From this flood came the Act of 1928 which authorized the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project (MR&T) — the nation’s first comprehensive flood control system.
With a staff of 27, YMD works tirelessly to fulfill their constitutional obligations, including protecting all persons, property and interests from flood damage through the construction, operation and maintenance of mainline levee.
There is constant preparation and improvement of plans for emergency operations so that when the next flood occurs, the citizens of the district will be protected.
Yazoo Basin has four control reservoirs: Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada. The basin lakes are flood control reservoirs. Recreational benefits are a secondary by-product.
The current project of Arkabutla Dam Deficiency Rehab Schedule is a repair project that will last 7-10 years. This is from the slide presentation.
So, in a nutshell, the Legislature acts to improve things as needed. There are some very skilled workers handling heavy equipment behind the scenes looking after us. There is a chief in charge with a whole alphabet behind his name making plans to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and go to bat for the folks living in his 10 counties.
He has sense enough to know to check the rain gauges in Cairo, Illinois, because that’s where the Mississippi River and the Ohio River meet up on the way to Memphis. That lets him know he has just enough time to put his plan into effect. It’s just up to us to be smart enough to listen up and evacuate if need be.
Bottom line is, 41% of the land area in the U.S. drains into the Mississippi Drainage Basin. That’s water from 31 states and two Canadian provinces.
So, listen here, know there is a plan and follow that plan and think about your pets, please.
Anna Tyner presented the horticultural study on the asiatic Lilly, a perennial bulb that enjoys full sun and grows about 2 feet high with blooms about 4 inches in diameter. It blooms in late summer. The flower is said to have gotten its name from the tears of Eve as she was expelled from the garden of Eden.
Lyn and cohostess Libby Whitten delighted us with refreshments of the best spinach and artichoke dip, and the prettiest pink cake with all lady rosie swirls on the outside and strawberry inside.
Hostess Lyn Gates prepares to welcome guests to the monthly garden club meeting.
