NewsReleaseV2012_3

Bridge, Phillips, Elam Drainage District News From the desk of Milton Sandy Jr

May 25, 2012

Vol 2012-3

This newsletter is directed to friends and supporters of our efforts to get something done about the repetitive flooding in Corinth and Alcorn County which on May 2, 2010, caused loss of life, public and private property and threatened public health and safety by the massive release of raw sewage into flood waters. If you have news, questions or comments, please fire away.

MAINTAINING OUR DITCHES Flood Threat for May At the Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, Supervisor Tim Mitchell asked me about future plans for maintaining the work that has been done clearing vegetation from our drainage ditches. Tim joins a host of people who have asked me that same question. David Latch with Corinth Nursery very accurately pointed out to me that pruning vegetation stimulates plant growth and what has been done by mulching and clearing is a giant pruning job on the vegetation which was blocking our drainage ditches.

As we relayed in Vol 2011-14, almost 40 years ago when Street Commissioner Sulley Ayers cleared the ditches around Corinth, he used a drag line to rip out all the vegetation down to the

5/23/2012 TRVWMD employee Tommy Lindsey hangs out spraying Elam Canal Contact: Milton Sandy Jr 662-286-6087 - Fax 287-4187 - E-mail mlsandy@tsixroads.com

ground as well as dig it a little deeper and wider in some cases. His method kept the ditches clean for about 20 years. Today that approach is frowned on for environmental reasons. Cleaning and clearing, leaving stumps and roots in place, not disturbing the soil are the more environmentally preferred approaches today. The only drawback is that, as David Latch pointed out, if that is all that is done, our flooding problems may be back within 5 years. We've got to document and come up with better, lasting solutions.

The most common solution that is offered is a spray program to retard the return of heavy, flow blocking vegetation along the ditch banks. Admittedly, I am not a big fan of adding more chemicals into our environment so I wanted to research this pretty closely. That is why this report may strike a lot of people as TMI (Too Much Information) but I hope by writing it down some of the methods and approaches of the Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District won't be easily forgotten in the future.

5/23/2012 - Spraying East bank of Elam Canal North of Harper Road overpass I was excited to see the TRVWMD return to Corinth this week to complete a demonstration spraying project on the segment of Elam Canal from Hwy 72 South to its junction with Bridge Canal below the sewer plant. This work is being done in lieu of clearing work already completed by the City of Corinth on this section of the canal before the TRVWMD paperwork could be completed.

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The experienced and versatile crew of TRVWMD including Mike Phillips, supervisor, Michael Burk, Jason Grier, Tommy Lindsey, and Lee Graham, moved in and began work Tuesday May 22nd and expect to complete the work next week.

As always, it has been an education to me to see how these talented people who have been dealing with many similar drainage problems for almost 40 years do their job. The TRVWMD brought a 12' bush-hog to first clear the banks on either side of Elam. A tractor pump rig with a working cage on an extendable boom and 300 gallon spray tank does the actual spraying work with a man operating the spray rig suspended over the ditch banks.

Rodeo is the herbicide being used and is made by Dow Chemical. Rodeo is EPA approved for contact with water. Turns out the active herbicide ingredient in Rodeo is isopropylamine salt of glyphosate. This is the exact same ingredient as found in the worldwide popular Monsanto Roundup product. Why is one approved for use around water and the other not? Turns out Roundup is known to be toxic to fish and aquatic life. Rodeo is not. The herbicide is not the toxic ingredient within these products, it is the other ingredients called adjuvants (any compound that is added to a herbicide formulation or tank mix to facilitate the mixing, application, or effectiveness of that herbicide). More specifically, it is the adjuvants called surfactants added to Roundup which are toxic to aquatic life. Surfactant is a name derived from surface active agents to describe compounds which facilitate or enhance the emulsifying, dispersing, spreading, sticking or wetting properties of a herbicide.

As it turns out, Rodeo contains no surfactants which is how it can be EPA approved for aquatic use. Nonetheless, the label clearly recommends that you add a non-ionic 80% surfactant before using the product. It warns “Use of this product without surfactant will result in reduced herbicide performance.” There were no other instructions or specific recommendations on the 17 page label on this product so you are basically left on your own to figure out how to use this product without killing the aquatic life like Roundup. Rodeo is mixed to a 2% solution which equates to 2 gallons of herbicide per 100 gallons of water.

At this point in time, I sought some expert advice and am happy to report I found it at my Alma Mater, Mississippi State University. I am indebted to Dr. John Madsen, an expert on biology, ecology, and management of aquatic plants, with the Geosystems Research Institute and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences for explaining much of this information to me. As it turns out, the EPA regulates herbicides but almost 3000 adjuvants are marketed in the US and are not regulated. So there are no EPA approved surfactants for aquatic use. A couple of states, most notably California, do regulate surfactants. Dr. Madsen recommends looking at the label for a couple of key pieces of information. One is the manufacturer's statement that the product is for use with “herbicides registered for aquatic use.” Because of product liability concerns, most manufacturers would not knowingly market a product which by itself or in combination with an intended herbicide, would harm aquatic life. Secondly, if a manufacturer has a California registration number as shown on their label, they have passed a pretty strenuous registration process which includes full disclosure of all ingredients in the product and some demonstrated and documented test results of the product's effectiveness. Unfortunately, I am told there are many products with questionable ingredients and lack of any proof of demonstrated effectiveness.

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Dr. Madsen recommended several surfactant products used in his research. One was manufactured by nearby Helena Chemical Company in Collierville, TN, so I chose it for further research. Helena has a very helpful Mississippi sales representative who specializes in aquatic applications, Mr. Greg Wall (662-312-0510). The product, Dyne-Amic, is a non-ionic modified vegetable oil and organosilicone surfactant, which meets all of the Rodeo label requirements, and Dr. Madsen's recommendations for aquatic use. The recommended general application rates are 3-5 pints per 100 gallons of spray solution or approximately 1/2 gallon per 100 gallons of water.

The TRVWMD also uses another adjuvant, Drexel-AMS-Xtra, at a rate of 1 gallon per 100 gallons of water. This product is comprised of two components. One is ammonium sulfate which serves as a conditioner to reduce the ph of hard water. Turns out that hard water reduces the effectiveness of glyphosate so this is like taking out insurance on the water condition which makes up almost 98% of your spray solution. The other component is an anti-foaming agent. I should have mentioned that you probably come into contact with surfactants yourself most every day. They are used in dish washing detergent and shampoos. You may know that they tend to cause foam as a byproduct, which can be a nuisance when you are mixing a 300 gallon tank of spray solution, so this is a useful but very minor additive as well.

On a personal note, this is probably the first time I've used any chemistry since Glen Parker taught me in high school or my one and only chemistry course in college. I will have to relate that one of my all time achievements at Mississippi State College was receiving one of 4 A's from Dr. Clyde Q. Sheely out of nearly 200 students in freshman chemistry that semester. Dr. Sheely was well known for disrupting the aspiring career plans of engineering students along with the calculus teachers in the math department. As a business student, that was an unexpected achievement but like becoming a drainage commissioner, you never know what life will throw your way.

As an accountant, I will have to summarize what I estimate all these chemicals will cost. By my calculations, at the recommended rates, for 100 gallons of solution the cost would be $.64 per gallon. The project from Hwy 72 to Bridge Creek is approximately 7,300'. Assuming each bank requires spraying down 40' on the side, there would be 14,600 lineal feet of banks x 40' each= 584,000 square feet. An acre = 43,560 sf, so this would mean 13.4 acres require spraying. At an application rate of 50 gallons per acre, a total of 670 gallons of solution would be required. At $.64 per gallon, this would be a total of $430.94 for chemicals for this project. From the pictures, it should be obvious that the fuel, equipment cost and labor for a 4 man crew over 6 days of application time will far exceed what the chemicals will cost. Since this is the case, it is very important to the environment, as well as for the budget's sake, that the chemistry and chemicals be right. Less herbicide will be used when the proper adjuvants are used.

The pictures here are before. We'll get more pictures in a couple of weeks after the herbicide takes effect. Noxious weeds, invasive plants and controlling vegetation are continuing problems with vast environmental consequences that we all have a stake in seeing done right.

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USACE Mississippi River Commission

3/27/2012 Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI leaving moving South down the river

Mississippi River Commission Statement Milton Sandy, Jr. Chairman, Elam Creek Drainage District, Corinth, Mississippi Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI, Mud Island, Memphis, TN March 27, 2012 Good morning. My name is Milton Sandy, Jr. of Corinth, Mississippi. I am Chairman of the Elam Creek Drainage District in Corinth and Alcorn County, Mississippi. It is an honor to be in Memphis today on the banks of the Mississippi River to appear before representatives of the historic United States Army Corps of Engineers whose origins in 1775 dates this agency from the very beginning of our nation and the Mississippi River Commission established in 1879 which has been working on flooding in the Mississippi River Valley for a very, very long time.

To my knowledge this is the first time a delegation representing the City of Corinth and historic drainage districts of Alcorn County have made a joint pilgrimage to the mother of all our ditches for the purpose of making a public statement.

I would like to introduce to you and ask to stand our representatives from Corinth and Alcorn County: Our new Mayor of Corinth, MS - Tommy Irwin, a successful retired business leader along with Jim Bynum and Tommy Justice, Department head

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New Alcorn Board of Supervisors President - Lowell Hinton, longtime Mississippi State Extension Service employee and walking encyclopedia of drainage knowledge.

Hatchie River Drainage District Chairman – Joe Duncan, acclaimed educator and Alcorn County farmer Tuscumbia Water Management District Chairman- Doug Mitchell, lifetime farmer with deep roots in Alcorn County* Bridge Creek Swamp Land District Chairman - John Warren Henson, earth moving contractor with several generations of family involved with Alcorn County drainage* Phillips Creek Swamp Land Drainage District Chairman - Hull Davis, well known community banker and business leader* BPE Drainage District Civil Engineer - Robert Scott, IV, who is today's keeper of a historic legacy of civil engineers who have worked in Alcorn County. Most of the drainage districts in Alcorn County were designed and surveyed by a single civil engineer, Mr. Loyal W. Murphy, whose grandson, Mr. Loyal W. Murphy, III, and great-grandson are civil engineers who live here in Memphis.

It may seem strange that a delegation from the far hill country of Northeast Mississippi comes to Memphis to beg for help on flooding. You could say we practically live in the Alps of Mississippi. But that is what we are here for.

On May 2, 2010, flooding damaged or destroyed 70% of the retail lifeblood of the City of Corinth, Mississippi and caused loss of life, extensive damage to public and private property and created serious threats to public health and safety. Since 1991, Corinth has suffered at least 6 severe flooding events with an estimated $50 million in property damages.

Property owners in rural areas of Alcorn County whose homes and farms are near the Hatchie and Tuscumbia River Canals have also suffered from increasing flooding in this time period.

We all live in the great alluvial valley of the Mississippi River. We all should be concerned with drainage. We all have ditches. The Mississippi is just a lot bigger ditch than ours. Ours need some work too and the magnitude of the problem is not as great but the consequences of neglect may be proportionately greater.

Weather statistics from NOAA's U.S.Storm Events Database show that the risk of death by flooding in Alcorn County, MS, is 5 times greater than your risk in Memphis and Shelby County, TN even though the number of reported flooding events in Shelby County is 5 times greater than that of Alcorn County. In both places, the risk of property damage is about the same, although the property losses in Alcorn County may be under reported due to the majority of flood losses in Page 6/8

Alcorn County are uninsured and thus unreported.

You might ask why lives are safer in Memphis and Shelby County from flooding than in Corinth and Alcorn County, MS. One reason you would have to say is that the USACE has a great engineering force of highly disciplined people working hard on problems of the Mississippi River in Memphis, TN. By the same token, you might say not as much work is being expended on the tributaries, including Alcorn County and Corinth, MS.

Our History Between 1906-1930, there were 18 drainage districts organized in Alcorn County and 119 miles of drainage canals constructed. All of the work was designed by professional engineers, completed and paid for by property owners along the canals. Most of this history has been forgotten.

Alcorn County's Drainage canals worked well for 50 years but then several things happened.

1. Ownership of the land changed. The majority of property owners no longer depended on agriculture for their livelihood.

2. People forgot the canals were man-made.

3. People forgot about the need for maintenance.

The USACE has a history of vital engagement in flood prevention in Corinth and Alcorn County. In the 1950's, the USACE helped the Tuscumbia Drainage District with clearing and improving the Tuscumbia River Canal. In the 1970's, the USACE helped the Hatchie Drainage District with clearing and improving drainage in the Hatchie River Canal.

In the early 1970's, the USACE provided extensive engineering services to the City of Corinth in the first and last flood control study that identified flood prone areas and mapped and established flood plain boundaries. At that time, the City of Corinth committed as a sponsor to watershed projects designed by other agencies of the Federal Government which included storm water retention and channel improvements which would have benefited flood control within the City of Corinth. These projects were never completed.

Our Purpose I came to Memphis during the high water of May, 2011. I wanted to see the Mississippi River at water levels higher and the flood danger greater than the great flood of 1927 or super flood of 1937. I was truly frightened by what I saw. The most frightening thing I saw was not the water- it was the fact that the majority of people were going about their everyday lives without a care in the world. People have forgotten the devastation and danger of flooding in our valley.

People had forgotten all the work, the planning, the maintenance of the great man altered drainage ditch called the Mississippi River.

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We need help with our flooding problems. The City of Corinth is fortunate to have a new mayor who is dedicated to improving flood control within the City. Under his direction, the City with limited resources has made significant progress. We are fortunate to have received some assistance with clearing and snagging in Corinth and Alcorn County from the Tombigbee River Valley Water Management District. However, we need planning and design assistance from the USACE that is beyond TRVWMD's capabilities to give us direction for the future. Our economic survival and future prosperity depends on protecting public health and safety and mitigating the damages from future flooding.

Last year, the BPECDD in cooperation with the City of Corinth requested assistance from the USACE with a study under section 205 of the 1948 Flood Control Act to determine the feasibility and economic justification of a project to alleviate flooding in the vicinity of Corinth, MS. The BPECDD also requested assistance from the USACE under the Planning Assistance to States Program, Section 22 of the Water Resources Act of 1974 to aid in comprehensive plans for the development, utilization, and conservation of our water resources.

The Hatchie Drainage District and Tuscumbia Water Management District respectfully request assistance in clearing, snagging and dredging to restore the hydrological capacity of these canals as originally built to reduce the loss of life and damage to public and private property within these watersheds in Alcorn County.

In closing, we ask that you hear our plea- please don't forget the far tributaries of the Mississippi. Once again I thank you for the opportunity to appear before this distinguished and historic body dedicated to flood protection in the great alluvial valley of the Mississippi River. * Delegates Unable to attend

3/27/2012 Memphis TN Members of the Mississippi River Commission in session aboard the Motor Vessel MISSISSIPPI docked at Mud Island

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