MISSISSIPPI RIVER PLANS TO BE DISCUSSED

CAIRO, Ill. -- Happenings along the Mississippi River and its tributaries will be discussed during the Mississippi River Commission's "high-water" inspection trip on the Mississippi River March 30-April 3.

The first of four public meetings will be held aboard the Motor Vessel, Mississippi, which will dock at the Eighth Street landing here for an 8:30 a.m. session March 30.

The vessel Mississippi is the Army Corps of Engineers revetments boat used to conduct the annual Mississippi River Commission inspections twice year.

Major Gen. Phillip R. Anderson, commander of the Mississippi Valley Division, and president of the Mississippi River Commission, will issue a "State of the Valley" report at each of four stops during the five-day.

District engineers will report on the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project in their respective districts, from Cairo to New Orleans. Presentations will also be accepted by public participants at the meetings.

Meetings schedule:

March 30: Cairo, Ill., 8:30 a.m., Eighth Street Landing.

March 31: Memphis, Tenn., 8:30 a.m., city waterfront.

April 1: Greenville, Miss., Main Street Landing, 8:30 a.m.

April 3: New Orleans, La., 8:30 a.m., Corps District Office foot of Prytania St.

The four meetings are scheduled for the selected towns along the river so members of the commission can keep in touch with local citizens and get first-hand feedback from residents.

The high-water trip tradition started in Cape Girardeau last year.

During each hearing, commission and Corps members will meet with citizens, elected officials and members of levee, flood-control and drainage districts to discuss planned or ongoing projects in their areas.

A number of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois representatives will be on hand for the Cairo meeting.

The Mississippi River Commission, organized in 1879, includes seven members, each nominated by the president of the United States. Three of the members are officers of the Corps, one is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and three are civilians, two of them civil engineers.

The commission makes recommendations on policy and work programs and studies and reports on modifications or additions for flood-control and navigational projects, in addition to making two river-inspection trips each year. The low-water inspection is made in the spring.

The purpose of the hearings is to keep an exchange of viewpoints and ideas flowing between the public and the Corps. Although presentations are made during the hearings, a copy of the remarks must be presented to the commission for the official record.