Revetment Season Begins: Crew sets off on multi-month tour

VICKSBURG, MS. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District’s Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) officially began the annual revetment season on the Mississippi River on Tuesday. The MSU typically performs revetment operations during low-water months (July-December), when the Vicksburg gage is at 27’ and falling.

The Mat Sinking Unit places hundreds of thousands of articulated concrete mats, or revetments, along the Mississippi River. This work is crucial for protecting flood control structures, preventing erosion, and maintaining navigable waterways within the project authorized area including 953 miles from Cairo, Ill., to above Head of Passes (considered to be the mouth of the Mississippi River).

Colonel Jeremiah Gipson, USACE Vicksburg District Commander, emphasized the project’s importance: “The Mat Sinking Unit, and the teammates who perform the work, are essential for both flood risk management and ensuring reliable, navigable waterways for commercial vessels. The Mississippi River is a vital part of our national infrastructure, and our mission remains to secure our Nation, energize the economy, and reduce disaster risk.”

The mat sinking crew includes a diverse range of seasonal professions, such as clerks, deck hands, drag line operators, electricians, gantry crane operators, mechanics, quarter boat utility operators, stewards, surveyors, tying tool operators and repairers, tractor drivers, truck drivers, and winchmen. These roles are integral to the success of the operation and the stability of the Mississippi River.

The crew of approximately 300, were greeted by cheers from family, friends, and colleagues at the Vicksburg City Waterfront as they set off on their multi-month tour. 

John Mark Henderson, Revetment Section Chief said, “The MSU and its team of skilled revetment workers install critical armament to the banks of the Lower Mississippi River, to protect our levees and provide for a safe, efficient navigable channel. Our most valuable asset is the people performing this difficult and challenging task. The team is commended for their selfless service and dedication to this vital mission.”

The USACE Vicksburg District continues to tackle some of the nation’s most challenging engineering problems. Spanning a 68,000-square-mile area across Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the district manages nine major river basins and approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. With approximately 1,100 employees, the Vicksburg District is engaged in numerous projects aimed at addressing complex water resource challenges.