ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND THE UPPER YAZOO PROJECTS

The US Army Engineer District, Vicksburg (CELMK), evaluated an array o f flood control alternatives, which included up to 167 water control s tructures, 52 confined disposal facilities, and 47 borrow pits as part of a major flood control effort known as the Upper Yazoo Projects (UY P). Many of these project features are capable of pending water and th us can be managed to mitigate for aquatic, terrestrial, waterfowl, and wetland resource losses expected to occur as a result of the UYP. The benefits to be derived will depend upon the land uses and management of the ponded areas. The US Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station developed procedures to quantify the cost and habitat benefits of the many management options for these sites. The mitigation strategy was derived by optimizing various combinations of land acquisition, refore station, land-use change, and site hydrology so that the least-cost mi tigation plan could be selected.