Southwest Arkansas Red River Navigation

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg District (CEMVK) will be preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate extending shallow-draft navigation up to 135 miles on the Red River from its present terminus at Shreveport, Louisiana into Southwest Arkansas.  Under the authority of Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 (Section 203), as amended, the non-Federal Interest, Arkansas Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Division (NRD) will perform the investigation to determine the feasibility of a proposed Southwest Arkansas Red River Navigation (SWARRN) channel. 

The existing Red River waterway, known as the J. Bennett Johnston (JBJ) Waterway, is a navigation system that commences at the confluence of Old and Red Rivers and proceeds upstream for 236 miles to the Shreveport-Bossier City area. The JBJ Waterway project consists of a 9-foot-deep by 200-foot-wide navigation channel with five navigation locks. The portion of the Red River above Shreveport, Louisiana is presently unsuitable for commercial navigation.  In 2005, USACE completed a draft Feasibility Report for the proposed SWARRN system. At the time of the report, USACE concluded there were not sufficient National Economic Development (NED) benefits to warrant recommending a project plan to authorize and extend shallow-draft navigation upstream of Shreveport, Louisiana. A recent market analysis and economic update completed by USACE showed the potential for improved NED benefits. In addition, USACE guidance allows the consideration of Regional Economic Development, Environmental Quality and other benefits to be applied when evaluating the feasibility of proposed water resources projects. Because of the improved economic benefits conditions, the NRD (non-federal interest) has initiated an action to proceed with additional analyses and a feasibility study under the Section 203 authority.

Scoping Meetings

The public scoping meetings were held on July 30, 2024 in Shreveport, LA from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm and on July 31, 2024 in Texarkana, TX from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

Information poster board sessions were held on the day of each public scoping meeting from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

The public scoping meetings were held at the following locations:

• July 30, 2024 – Louisiana State University in Shreveport (Noel Memorial Library – 3rd Floor), One University Place, Shreveport, LA 71115 (updated 7/29/2024)
• July 31, 2024 – Texas A&M University-Texarkana (University Center – Eagle Hall), 7101 University Avenue, Texarkana, TX 75503