JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — A federal agency has set aside funds to help protect the Mississippi capital city and surrounding areas from flood damage after two floods in three years.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Monday that it has budgeted $221 million to fund local flood control projects. Local leaders described the project as “decades in the making”.
“After decades of waiting, the citizens of Jackson are finally seeing the fruits of this project,” said Robert Graham, the superintendent of Hinds County, where Jackson is located.
The current levee system fails to protect parts of Jackson and nearby flood-prone suburbs, officials said. The Pearl River Flood Control Project will widen the river that runs through the Jackson area, allowing more water to pass through during floods. It will also widen the levees and remove choke points that cause water to flow across the banks and into residential areas.
It would protect local counties from more than $1 billion in potential losses, according to Republican U.S. senators. Roger Wick of Mississippi.
“As I have repeatedly emphasized to the administration, the Jackson metro area lacks adequate flood protection every year, and this is the year we risk a repeat of the 1979 Easter flood disaster,” Wick said, referring to the water level that caused the Rising floods hit record highs.
In 2020, after days of heavy downpours that pushed the Pearl River to 36.7 feet (11.2 meters), the worst-hit Jackson home was filled with filthy, snake-infested floodwaters. This year, the high tide of the Pearl River flooded streets and some homes in Jackson following a downpour of storms. The flooding exacerbated long-term problems at one of the city’s two water treatment plants, leaving people without running water for days.
Officials said Monday’s announcement was the first step in an ongoing process. The Corps still needs to give final approval to local officials before construction can begin.
The Legion’s $221 million budget is part of the $800 million the agency plans to spend nationwide after receiving funding from a federal infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden.
The total cost of the project is $340 million, according to Keith Turner, an attorney working on the project. Local officials will need to come up with the remaining funds. “We’re working on multiple approaches for these funds, including fractional-yield bonds,” Turner said in an email.
Local officials have submitted a 3,000-page environmental impact report to the Corps. The agency will review the statement and make a final decision on the project. Turner said a final decision could be months away, but federal officials were optimistic the project would be approved.
Local officials said the project would be a step toward stability in the flood-stricken city.
“Jackson has been through a lot. We’ve weathered this storm,” Graham said. “To the citizens of Northeast Jackson, Rankin County, Hinds County, we want to make sure you know help is on the way.”
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Michael Goldberg is a member of the Associated Press/US State Capitol Journalism Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit, national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover undercover issues. Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/mikergoldberg.