The Mississippi River Commission will host a public meeting aboard the Motor Vessel Mississippi on Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at City Front in Vicksburg.

Interested parties are invited to present their views on matters affecting the water resources infrastructure needs in the Mississippi River valley, including flood control, the Mississippi River and Tributaries project and other water resources challenges.

Commission president Major General Mark Toy, as well as USACE Vicksburg District commander Col. Robert Hilliard will provide a summary report on regional and national issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as other programs and projects.

The Mississippi River Commission, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated by the President of the United States and vetted by the Senate. Three of the organization’s members are officers of the USACE. One member is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and three others are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.

General duties of the commission include recommending policy and work programs, studying and reporting on the necessity for modifications or additions to the flood control and navigation project and conducting semi-annual inspection trips.

The authority of the commission extends the entire length of the Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to Head of Passes, Louisiana, where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue between watershed interests, the public and the USACE. Presentations by the public are made orally, and a copy of the remarks is presented to the commission for official record and written response.

The Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage basin, which impacts 41 percent of the United States and includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states and two Canadian provinces.