RED RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION Inc Information

The Red River Valley Association was founded in 1925 as a non-profit, member-supported organization. Its purpose is to advance the econonic development and well-being of the millions of citizens who reside in the area traversed by the Red River in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Since its inception, the RRVA has been instrumental in working on the local, state and federal levels to support and advance a number of programs to develop the land and water resources of the Red River Valley for the beneficial use of all its residents. These programs include:Flood ControlIn May 1990, the Red River in southwest Arkansas and throughout much of its length in Louisiana experienced its highest flood stages since the devastating Red River floods of 1945 and 1957. Although a significant event, the May 1990 flooding was not as catastrophic as it would have been without the system of levees and flood control structures that had been undertaken in the decades since the RRVA began its efforts to tame the Red. Although some 700,000 acres were flooded with total damages estimated at $20.4 million, flood control works, including levees and upstream reservoirs, prevented the flooding of some 1.3 million additional acres thus averting an estimated $330 million in additional flood damage to agricultural and urban developments.