"Barring any legal challenge, it appears the South Delta is finally getting its pumps.

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers announced last Friday it’s moving forward with an altered version of the Yazoo Pumps, a flood relief project that the agency has touted for decades. The project now also has the backing of the Environmental Protection Agency, whose veto killed a previous iteration in 2008 because of the pumps’ potential to harm 67,000 acres of valuable wetland habitat.

In a Jan. 8 letter, the EPA wrote that proposed mitigation components — such as cutting off the pumps at different points depending on the time of year, as well as maintaining certain water levels for aquatic species during low-flow periods — are “expected to reduce adverse effects to an acceptable level.”"

Alex Rozier reports for Mississippi Today January 22, 2025. [2]