USACE Vicksburg District to close outlet gates at Arkabutla, Grenada and Sardis lakes

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District will conduct scheduled maintenance and inspections at three of its north Mississippi lakes — Arkabutla, Grenada and Sardis — that will temporarily close each lake’s outlet gates from approximately mid-August through the end of September.

During the outlet gate closures, the outlet channels at Arkabutla and Grenada lakes will be closed to fishing. Additionally, Sardis Lake’s three lower lake beaches — Paradise Point, Main Beach and Cypress Point – will be closed to swimming.

The periodic maintenance and inspection of flood control structures helps ensure that the overall flood control system continues to function as designed. The structures at Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid, and Grenada lakes control drainage for approximately 4,425 square miles in north Mississippi.

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.