When the water is high, say 2 feet above normal, navigating the backwater of the West Pearl River isn’t too difficult.

There is still a maze of broken limbs, discarded boats and submerged stumps to steer through, but it’s manageable. When the water is lower, however, the narrow tributaries and bayous feeding into the river are virtually impassable.

Cliff Taylor, whose family has lived at Porter’s River Landing for decades, is hoping to do something about it.

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“You can only just get to maybe the first bend in the old river. After that it’s impossible,” said Taylor, referring to the waterway that was the original course of the Pearl until it was rerouted in the early 20th century.

“The town has been waiting for a permit to dredge Pump Slough for two years, and Brockham Bayou is bad, too,” Taylor said.

A former external fuel tank specialist with Martin Marietta, Taylor is an avid fisherman and driftwood collector. He knows the area like the back of his hand and points out cypress, bay, Tupelo gum and hickory trees as he steers his skiff through the water.

Many of the downed trees are a direct result of Hurricane Katrina, but others are more recent, having been left vulnerable and weakened. Several snags have become tiny islands, sprouting marsh grasses and other plants.

“People don’t enjoy being out on the river like they used to, and I think it’s partly because getting through it is such a hassle,” said Taylor.

The area is covered under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, which gives the federal government the authority to act in the event something is done that directly impacts navigation.

As such, Taylor had to check with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for approval before he begins any cleanup efforts.

It also falls under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972.

“If someone is doing something that will discharge anything into the water, or reshape the land surface, then we have to issue a special permit,” said Ken Mosley, acting chief of the USACE Regulatory Branch, Vicksburg District. “Hand clearing, where someone may just wrap chains around some logs and pull them out, for example, can be done without a permit.”

Taylor received the go-ahead for hand clearing on Aug. 22 and is now rounding up volunteers who would like to help out. Interested parties should call 863-7612.