The United States Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a project to construct a levee in the New Madrid Floodplain designed to manage flood risks in the area.
The proposed project area is located in Missouri’s Bootheel and is a strip of land along the Mississippi River. This project comes with a price tag of $165 million and would eliminate the last remaining connection between the Mississippi River and its floodplain in the state of Missouri.
The proposed project would remove crucial fish and wildlife habitat and degrade or destroy 53,556 acres of functional wetlands.
Millions of animals depend on this floodway’s connection to the Mississippi River for both food and habitat. The endangered least tern, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, and at least 93 different species of fish are among many that would be affected.
