August 11, 2025
Mr. Jason Emery Via Email
Acting Chief, Environmental Branch
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
CEMVN-PDS
7400 Leake Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
RE: Comments from the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD) on the Revised
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIS) for the Pearl River Basin Mississippi
Federal Flood Risk Management Project
Dear Mr. Emery,
We greatly appreciate the hard work of the men and women of the U.S. Army Corps in
Vicksburg as they continue to address this monumental issue, and we also appreciate their
continued collaboration with the local Rankin Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control
District. Thank you for holding public meetings and for continuing to engage with constituents
and local stakeholders. On behalf of the Barnett Reservoir, I submit these questions and
comments for your review.
The following questions and comments are limited to alternatives D1 and E1 of the RDEIS (July
2025).
1. The RDEIS discusses changes that the USACE would like to see in the operations of the
Barnett Reservoir Dam (pages 3-4, 3-6, 6-1). It also discusses how USACE will work
closely with us on this project. None of these proposed changes have been
discussed with us. USACE has not met with us about these proposed changes or
any other matter related to this project.
AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
115 Madison Landing Circle • Ridgeland MS 39157 • 601-856-6574 •
[email protected] Adam Choate, Executive Director
2. Page 3-4 recommends reducing discharges from the Barnett Reservoir Dam by 20%
when discharging more than 35,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Doing so would be
risky and dangerous. The last time discharges from the dam exceeded 35,000 cfs was in
August of 2022. On August 28, 2022, the Barnett Reservoir stood at 298.63 feet above
sea level while discharging 60,000 cfs at the dam. Had we reduced output by 20% to
48,000 cfs, water could have quickly topped the emergency spillway at 300 feet, causing
catastrophic failure and flooding. If that happens, water flow to the O.B. Curtis Water
Treatment Plant would be jeopardized, cutting off the water supply to the City of
Jackson and Nissan Canton. Additionally, the economic damages to the areas around
the Reservoir would be profound.
3. We understand that the proposed project would raise the low flow water surface
elevation on the downstream side of the dam from 250.50 to 256.50 feet above sea
level. This means that many sections of the downstream aprons of the spillway would
be permanently submerged, making inspections and repairs much more complicated.
PRVWSD needs to be assured that, after construction of the proposed Flood Risk
Management Project, it will still be possible to quickly (within 3 days) lower the water
surface elevation of the new lake to 250.50. It must also be possible to hold the water
surface elevation down at 250.50 or below for extended periods (possibly several
weeks).
4. We are concerned that hazards associated with Barnett Reservoir dam breaches or
high-water events may not have been considered. The loss of life from a breach of the
Barnett Dam is very low, but that’s because the floodway downstream is typically
unoccupied. We’re concerned that recreational usage of the proposed lake could
increase this risk. We strongly recommend that a Semi Quantitative Risk Assessment be
completed to assess any potential harm to recreational users below the Barnett Dam.
5. As you know, the Ross Barnett Reservoir has very little excess storage capacity,
meaning that inflows will soon after result in outflows. Will spikes in discharge from
the Barnett Reservoir still be possible without creating unacceptably high downstream
water levels or damaging the proposed improvements?
AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
115 Madison Landing Circle • Ridgeland MS 39157 • 601-856-6574 •
[email protected] Adam Choate, Executive Director
6. We are concerned that any of the proposed changes would affect Brashear Creek. Will
the change in water surface elevation affect the creek? Has a hydraulic analysis of the
creek been performed? Would flash flooding around the creek be exacerbated?
We have previously submitted comment letters on May 25, 2023, and August 6, 2024. USACE
failed to respond to those letters. We now submit these comments, hoping that Vicksburg will
communicate with us on this very important project. We believe there are glaring issues and
omissions of public safety that must be addressed before this project can move forward.
Should you have any questions, please contact me at 601-605-6898 or [email protected].
Adam Choate
AN AGENCY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
115 Madison Landing Circle • Ridgeland MS 39157 • 601-856-6574 •
[email protected] Adam Choate, Executive Director
