River Has Crested but the Backwater is Still Filling Up

The Mississippi River crested Tuesday at 51.4 ft, some 8 feet above flood stage.  The river is expected to drop 3 feet in the next 10 days or so and then level out for several weeks after that.  It will hold at that level 5 feet above flood stage for several weeks.  The anticipated rainfall and snowmelt are a concern but the best information right now says the river will not rise again.  That could change with heavy rain in the midwest.

The concern now is the Backwater flooding, the control structures, and the levee system.  The Corps opened the Muddy Bayou Control Structure Wednesday morning. The Muddy Bayou Structure is located at Eagle Lake and it regulates the flow between Eagle Lake and Steele Bayou. With the current rise in the Backwater, water could begin to overtop this structure by the end of the week. The gates were opened to prevent damage to the Muddy Bayou Control Structure and to prevent scour(slow water erosion) or further damage to roads and homes surrounding Eagle Lake. The Corps will fill the lake up to 86’. The lake was at 82.90’ when the gates were opened.

The Backwater has overtopped several roads: Blanton Road (92’), Spanish Fort Road (92.5’), Goose Lake Road (93.4’), Low-water Bridge Road (93.7’), Hwy 465 (between the YBW Levee and Eagle Lake Gin), and Hwy 16 in the Delta National Forest between Rolling & Holly Bluff (96.0’).  The Backwater flooding matches the levels from 1973, the event of record.  The current projection based on a 7-day forecast is the Backwater will continue its rise to 97 or maybe even 97.5 feet.

MDOT closed Hwy 465 on the riverside of the levee on February 23^rd.  MDOT closed HWY 465 on the protected side of the levee between the  Yazoo Backwater Levee and the Eagle Lake Gin on March 4^th. The Mississippi Levee Board closed the YBW Levee at Hwy 61 on March 4^th due to the thousands of deer that are trapped on the Brunswick Extension Levee.  Eagle Lake residents can travel up Hwy 61 to Onward, MS, then take Hwy 1 North,  and then take Hwy 465 South to get back and forth to Eagle Lake.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors declared a Mandatory Evacuation Order of Eagle Lake on March 8, 2019.  The order declares the county cannot guarantee emergency services due to the difficulty of reaching the neighborhoods at the lake.  The Warren County Sherrif’s Department is keeping Deputies at Eagle Lake day and night to prevent looting.  Every neighborhood at Eagle Lake has residents staying there to protect their property.  All of them are armed.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspectors are inspecting the levee and will continue to inspect throughout the duration of the high water event.