GREENVILLE, MS—U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today announced an agreement has been reached between the City of Greenville and the Army Corps of Engineers to begin work on the Greenville Brown Water Cleanup Project.  Sen. Wicker was joined by Greenville Mayor Heather Hudson and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the announcement at a press conference at City Hall.

“For too long, the brown water problem has harmed Greenville’s image.  It has been a serious detriment to the city’s growth and prosperity and distracted potential investors and residents from all that this community has to offer. Greenville is one of Mississippi’s great cities, and I am certain it will grow and prosper into the future,” Wicker said.

“The Greenville Brown Water Cleanup Project highlights the importance of collaboration between local and federal officials.  It is exciting to see that collaborative effort take shape in a solution for Greenville’s 20-year struggle with brown water,” said Wicker.

The City of Greenville has attempted to find ways to alleviate the brown water issue for decades, exploring different ways to fund the major public works project.

In 2009, Sen. Wicker facilitated a meeting between the City of Greenville and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. As a result of that meeting, the City and the Corps are in the final stages of reaching an agreement to begin work on five of their nine well systems to address the cause of Greenville’s brown water. Through the Section 592 program, which was created by the Mississippi delegation, the Corps can undertake this kind water infrastructure project under a cost-sharing agreement with the City. 

The project will be led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District. Residents of Greenville should see the results of this effort by November of 2011.

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