photo by Steve VanGunda

The water level along J.M. Jones Lumber Company’s levee along the Mississippi River continues to drop after April’s flooding. The river is expected to re-crest at around 46.5 feet this Friday.

River begins to rise again

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Wednesday, June 25, 2008

NATCHEZ — In what could possibly be interpreted as a display of Mother Nature’s whimsy the Mississippi River is rising yet again.

While the river is not projected to get near its flood stage of 48 feet any time in the foreseeable future, it is expected to re-crest on some time Friday around 46.5 feet.

On Tuesday the river was around 46.05 feet, at the end of April the flooded river crested at 57 feet.

National Weather Service Hydrologist Marty Pope said the river’s crest on Friday won’t be anything like the crest in April.

“It’s not the same,” he said.

Pope said only the lowest areas in the county have even a slim chance to see flooding from this newest ascent.

As the Midwest continues to experience record-flooding Pope said the Mississippi is wide and deep enough to absorb nearly all of the swollen rivers around it in that region.

That’s why the river is only rising slightly in Natchez Pope said.

And the small increases the river will display by Friday come as good news to many.

Adams County Supervisor Mike Lazarus said the Adams County Road Department is hard at work repairing sections of Carthage Point Road that were washed away in April.

“We don’t need to go though that again,” he said of the last flood.

Lazarus said the road crew is repairing the road by removing sand that covered it after the flood and filling in some spots with new dirt.

Before and after April’s crest the operators of J.M. Jones Lumber Company were buffering their existing levees with dirt and preparing for the worst.

Company President Lee Jones said while the flood was extremely stressful for his business this newest rise in the river is not much of a concern.

But Jones is not being overly optimistic.

“We’re not tearing down our defenses yet,” he said of the additional levee built during the flood.

Vidalia Dock and Storage’s Port Captain Travis Morace also said the newest rise in the river won’t be a problem.

“It’s not going to affect us,” he said.

During the height of the most recent flood the dock’s ability to work was slowed by the flood.