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A floodgate in Mississippi has again closed to prevent the swollen Mississippi River from spilling inland and worsening flooding in parts of the Mississippi Delta.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it closed the Steele Bayou floodgate north of Vicksburg on Friday.

The gate closed Feb. 15 and reopened April 1. It closed again May 11 and reopened May 23.

Predictions show water inside levees could rise higher than this year’s earlier crest. That produced the worst flooding in the region since 1973, submerging more than 550,000 acres (220,000 hectares). About 40% was farmland.

Extended flooding means many area farmers won’t plant a crop, creating financial pressures.

Water inside levees has nowhere to go, because a planned pumping station was vetoed as harmful to the region’s wetlands.

Topics Flood Mississippi