A third public boat launch in Warren County and a new restroom at the Eagle Lake landing are on pace for 2010.

Planned on 2.3 acres off Old Twin Lake Road just north of the old rail bridge across the Yazoo River, the ramp will be available at no charge to recreational and commercial fisherman and hunters launching into the Yazoo.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will build the ramp and a gravel parking lot on the acreage, one of eight properties acquired by the county in the flood buyout program following the 2008 Mississippi River floods. On Monday, Warren County supervisors approved a 20-year agreement to maintain the ramp and parking area and pay 25 percent of construction costs. MDWFP still must approve the agreement, which also depends on the flow of federal and state money to complete it by the end of 2010.

County officials said the ramp complements the launch facility at Messina Landing, which provides public access to Eagle Lake, and LeTourneau Landing, which provides direct access to the Mississippi River. City Front has a City of Vicksburg-maintained launch facility into the Yazoo Diversion Canal, serving both the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. The new launch will provide quicker access to the portion of the Yazoo running through the north part of the county.

“It’s faster and people have been asking us for years,” District 2 Supervisor William Banks said.

The launch could also assist law enforcement response, said District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale. Supervisors have agreed to match a federal grant to pay for an emergency response boat and other equipment.

“It’ll open up another stretch of our rivers. There’s a lot of catfish up and down that river.”

MDWFP will reimburse the county 75 percent of the cost to build a new restroom and wastewater facility at Eagle Lake, up to $102,000. Reimbursements only cover work completed before June 30, 2010.

Landings at Eagle Lake and LeTourneau were built in the early 1990s, with the county road department tasked with maintenance.

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Contact Danny Barrett Jr. at dbarrett@vicksburgpost.com