![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090109014947im_/http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/RWOnline/RW_2008/RW_103108/images/Erosion_control.jpg)
Mark Mann photo |
Erosion control blanket placed along Embankment Area "A" for the Northwest Tennessee Regional Harbor.
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The weather may be cooling off in the
Mid-South, but there’s plenty of activity heating up
across the Memphis District. Here’s a roundup of
what is happening as we move into November.
Heading toward a new harbor
Project Manager Bill Donlon says work on an
important part of the Northwest Tennessee Regional
Harbor Project is set to begin as soon as river
stages permit.
He hopes the Mississippi
River will see a significant rise soon, allowing the
contract cutterhead dredge Pontchartrain to move
into position and go to work.
“This is the real ‘meat’
of the project,” Donlon said. “Dredging for the new
harbor and depositing the dredge material into two
large containment areas is a huge part of the work
we have to do.”
Located on the Mississippi
River near Tiptonville, Tenn., at the former Cates
Landing mat casting field, the slackwater harbor*,
currently under construction is expected to bring
significant benefits to the region.
The project sponsors
believe its location near major Interstate highways
and rail lines will contribute to its success.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090109014947im_/http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/RWOnline/RW_2008/RW_103108/images/Discharge_pipes.jpg)
Mark Mann photo |
These discharge pipes and the outfall ditch for embankment area "A" are part of the work already completed.
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“This is the biggest
economic development project we’ve seen in northwest
Tennessee in my lifetime,” said U.S. Congressman
John Tanner in a news release. The project falls
within his Congressional district, and Tanner has
long been a strong supporter. “Because of our prime
location and great water and land resources, this
growth will put us on the map of the world’s major
cargo-shipping points.”
According to Tanner,
initial economic impact studies indicate the port
and adjacent industrial park will boost the regional
agricultural economy and attract new industry to the
area, creating more than 5,600 new jobs – 3,000
direct jobs and more than 2,600 indirect positions.
Dredging is expected to
take approximately 60 days and Donlon says local
project sponsors initial operations at the harbor
can begin as early as September 2010.
Cooperative effort is
“Restoring America’s Greatest River”
Work
has already begun on a significant environmental
project within eyeshot of downtown Memphis.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090109014947im_/http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/RWOnline/RW_2008/RW_103108/images/Loos1.jpg)
Ron Nassar photo |
(Left to
right) LMRCC Development Coordinator Bob
Geary, Memphis District Civil Engineer
Zach Cook, and Mississippi Linestone
Construction Superintendent Steven
Stewart surveying the Loosahatchie Bar
Project. |
The Loosahatchie Bar
Project is the result of collaboration between the
Corps of Engineers, the Lower Mississippi River
Conservation Committee (LMRCC), the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
“We are working to cut 10
notches in seven existing stone dikes located just
north of the I-40 Bridge,” Ron Nassar of the Fish
and Wildlife Service said. Nassar is working closely
with the Memphis District and even has an office in
our Environmental Branch.
“We selected this project
because was assigned a high priority during the
‘Restoring America’s Greatest River’ planning
process and there is significant interest in its
construction,” he said.
Nassar explained that the
notches in the dikes will not change their purpose
in maintaining the navigation channel, but will
reintroduce a limited amount of water flow into a
secondary channel during all but the lowest stages
on the Mississippi River.
“The secondary channels
provide habitat for many species of fish and other
aquatic-dependent species in the late summer and
early fall,” he said.
The LMRCC is overseeing
the project and funding comes from the Southeast
Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through
its Fish Passage Program. The Memphis District
provided technical assistance in planning and
designing the project.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090109014947im_/http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/RWOnline/RW_2008/RW_103108/images/Loos2.jpg)
Ron Nassar photo |
Workers
take advantage of low river stages to
"notch" one of the Loosahatchie Bar
dikes. |
Other local partners
supporting the project are the Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission, the Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality, the Tennessee Wildlife
Resources Agency, the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation, the Mississippi Fish
and Wildlife Foundation, Mississippi River Corridor
– Tennessee and the American Land Conservancy.
Corps set to sign regional
pact with DU
In
another collaborative effort, Mississippi Valley
Division Commander Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh is
scheduled to sign a regional Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with Ducks Unlimited (DU) in
Memphis at the end of November.
“If we are to engage in
finding solutions that sustain both the natural
environment and the economic benefits of water use,
we must become more inclusive in the make up of our
partnerships,” he said recently. “We are all
stewards of the environment, and we all have a stake
in the economic health of America. To be successful,
we must continue to work together, share ideas and
dedicate ourselves to finding comprehensive
solutions that work. Through cooperation,
communication and commitment, we will make a lasting
difference for our Nation.”
Dr. Alan Wentz, Senior
Group Manager for Ducks Unlimited, weighed in on the
importance of the agreement, and explained how it
will impact the way DU and the Corps of Engineers
work together.
“We will share
information, expertise, and resources to plan and
implement habitat restoration, protection and
management projects and ensure that these projects
are designed using the best science and engineering
in an ecologically sustainable manner,” he said.
![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090109014947im_/http://www.mvm.usace.army.mil/RWOnline/RW_2008/RW_103108/images/Sherburne_sign.jpg)
Courtesy photo |
The MOU
scheduled for signing in late November
will encourage more projects like the
Sheburne Wildlife Management Area in
Louisiana.
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The signing ceremony is
scheduled for the afternoon of Nov. 24, followed by
an intensive MOU workshop at the Ducks Unlimited
worldwide headquarters in east Memphis the following
day. Memphis District biologist Mark Smith is set to
make a presentation on the Lower Cache River Meander
Restoration – a Section 1135 project.** Some of the
other topics scheduled for the workshop include:
-
Wetland restoration
-
Wetland mitigation
-
Cooperation
opportunities through the Water Resources
Development Act
-
Post-Midwest flood
restoration opportunities
In addition to Gen. Walsh
and Dr. Wentz, other officials expected to sign the
MOU include DU Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional Office
Director Bob Hoffman (represented by David Brakhage
- Dir. of Conservation Programs), DU Great Plains
Regional Office Director Steve Adair and DU Southern
Regional Office Director Curtis Hopkins.
As you can see, the next
30 days promises to keep us busy. Look for more
stories on these projects and how the people of the
Memphis District are “Building Strong” for America’s
future.
* A
slack-water harbor is where a steady level of still
water makes for easier loading and unloading than in
parts of the river with fast-moving currents.
** Under
the authority provided by Section 1135 of the Water
Resources Development Act of 1986, the Corps of
Engineers may plan, design and build modifications
to
existing Corps projects, or areas degraded by
Corps projects, to restore aquatic habitats for fish
and wildlife.
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