USACE temporarily closes dam road at Arkabutla Lake

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District has temporarily closed the road over Arkabutla Dam at Arkabutla Lake, located in Tate and DeSoto counties in north Mississippi, to install new piezometers.

The piezometers will measure groundwater elevations, pore water pressures and other key metrics. The road closure is anticipated to take four-to-five weeks depending on weather conditions and other factors. Traffic will be routed along the base of Arkabutla Dam until the installation is complete.

Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid and Grenada lakes, the four Mississippi flood control reservoirs in the Vicksburg District’s area of responsibility, were authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1936, which provided a plan designed to address flooding that originated in the Yazoo Basin. The four reservoirs are used to hold runoff, or excess rainwater, as a flood-prevention measure. With approximately 3.2 million visitors each year, the north Mississippi lakes also contribute approximately $82 million into the local economy.