The next hurdle: funding, The $63.7 million project would restore forests and wetland habitats along 39 miles of the Mississippi River
A first-of-its-kind project seeking to restore river ecosystems along 39 miles of the Lower Mississippi River has federal approval to move forward — if it can secure a slice of the federal bankroll.
The Hatchie-Loosahatchie Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration project would restore the habitats of endangered species, support natural culling of invasive carp and restore floodplain ecosystems severed from the Mississippi River by decades of flood control measures.
The project received legislative approval in January in the Water Resources Development Act, a law passed by Congress every two years that gives the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) authority to conduct studies and projects for water resource conservation and development.
The roughly $63.7 million undertaking would be the largest ecosystem restoration project in the history of the USACE Memphis District.
Restoration efforts would touch more than 6,000 acres in Tennessee and Arkansas, stretching from the Hatchie River to the Wolf River near downtown Memphis. The project will cover the portion of the Mississippi River bordering Crittenden and Mississippi counties in Arkansas and Lauderdale, Tipton and Shelby counties in Tennessee.
The main goal is habitat restoration to support the hundreds of species along the river by reconnecting secondary river channels, reforesting bottomland hardwood forests, seeding wetland plants and fixing bridges, among other things. It will also include trail improvements in Meeman Shelby Forest and Wolf River Harbor. The project isn’t expected to negatively impact navigation or flood mitigation on the Mississippi.
Combatting carp by supporting native predators
Native species are facing another challenge to their survival: invasive carp species that reproduce and grow rapidly, feeding on plankton and outcompeting native species for vital resources.
“The carp grow so fast that they don’t have many natural predators,” Thron said.
Enter the alligator gar.
Alligator gar are native to the Lower Mississippi River. They can grow up to 8 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds, making them “one of the only native predators that grow large enough to eat these invasive carp,” Thron said.
But both Tennessee and Arkansas identify the alligator gar as a species of conservation concern, which means they’re at risk of going extinct. Changing habitats and overfishing have caused populations to decrease.
They rely on floodplains and wetlands to spawn, and Thron said restoring floodplains will provide more habitat.
Many of the measures in the Hatchie-Loosahatchie project are aimed at promoting the alligator gar’s spawning habitat. The study identifies the fish as a key component of the Mississippi River basin’s strategy to control invasive carp.
Funding, land acquisition remain hurdles
While the project has moved on track so far, Allmon acknowledged that it is a long-term endeavor.
Engineering and design work come next, but funding remains the biggest question. The cost of the restoration components of the project would be shared by the federal government (65%) and nonfederal sources (35%). The recreation projects would be split 50/50.
Included in the recommended recreation projects is an increase in boat ramps. There are currently six boat landings along the reach. Six are in Tennessee; one is in Arkansas.
Recreation in the lower Mississippi River generates $1.3 billion and employs 55,000.
USACE’s civil works budget falls within a multi-step federal budgeting process that is driven in part by political priorities from the presidential administration. Projects can also be funded with supplemental appropriations. USACE has received supplemental funds nearly every year since 2017 — with the exception of 2021 — but those are typically given for repairs following significant storm damage, according to a 2022 overview of USACE’s budget process.
Brinkman, with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, said he wouldn’t be surprised if it took decades for the funding to be approved.
“Something of this scale has not been accomplished before … it is a slow process, for sure,” he said.
Allmon said his team never knows what will get funded or when.
“If it doesn’t get funded this cycle, it’s not to say it won’t get funded in the next cycle,” he said.
Working with local landowners is another potential hurdle.
Most land within the batture — the area of the alluvial plain extending from the river to the levee — is privately owned.
The project as planned requires the purchase of more than 2,881 acres of private land, and easements for roads and construction at an estimated cost of $17.6 million, according to a project recommendation letter from USACE Chief of Engineers Scott Spellmon.
Of the total 3,044 acres of private and public land encompassed by the project, about half lies in Tennessee, and half lies in Arkansas.
Extent of the Hatchie-Loosahatchie Mississippi River Ecosystem Restoration project
A proposed $63.7 million restoration project aims to reconnect floodplains, restore endangered species’ habitats, and combat invasive carp along the Mississippi River near Memphis.
This is republished in cooperation with Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an Argus Newspaper media partner.
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