The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District’s Mat Sinking Unit (MSU) officially began the annual revetment season on the Mississippi River Tuesday, where the crew was greeted by cheers from family, friends, and colleagues at the Vicksburg City Waterfront as they set off on their multi-month tour.

The MSU typically performs revetment operations during low-water months (July-December), when the Vicksburg gage is at 27’ and falling.

USACE officials said the MSU places hundreds of thousands of articulated concrete mats, or revetments, along the Mississippi River. This work is crucial, USACE said, for protecting flood control structures, preventing erosion, and maintaining navigable waterways within the project authorized area including 953 miles from Cairo, Ill., to above Head of Passes, which is considered to be the mouth of the Mississippi River.

USACE Vicksburg District Commander Col. Jeremiah Gipson emphasized the project’s importance.

“The Mat Sinking Unit, and the teammates who perform the work, are essential for both flood risk management and ensuring reliable, navigable waterways for commercial vessels,” Gipson said. “The Mississippi River is a vital part of our national infrastructure, and our mission remains to secure our nation, energize the economy, and reduce disaster risk.”

USACE said the mat sinking crew includes a diverse range of seasonal professions, such as clerks, deck hands, drag line operators, electricians, gantry crane operators, mechanics, quarter boat utility operators, stewards, surveyors, tying tool operators and repairers, tractor drivers, truck drivers, and winchmen. These roles are integral to the success of the operation and the stability of the Mississippi River, officials added.

The crew is made up of approximately 300 men and women.

Revetment Section Chief John Mark Henderson said the work the crew will do in invaluable both locally and nationally.

“The MSU and its team of skilled revetment workers install critical armament to the banks of the Lower Mississippi River, to protect our levees and provide for a safe, efficient navigable channel,” he said. “Our most valuable asset is the people performing this difficult and challenging task. The team is commended for their selfless service and dedication to this vital mission.”

The USACE Vicksburg District continues to tackle some of the nation’s most challenging engineering problems, officials said. Spanning a 68,000-square-mile area across Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the district manages nine major river basins and approximately 460 miles of mainline Mississippi River levees. With approximately 1,100 employees, the Vicksburg District is engaged in numerous projects aimed at addressing complex water resource challenges.