TheU.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a revised study on potential flood controls for the portion of the Pearl Riv
er that runs along Jackson, narrowing its focus to two proposals, and only one of them will resemble the long-debated “One Lake” plan.
The latest step in an effort decades in the making, the 243-page document highlights an array of flood control m
sures such as building levees, lowering the river's banks, and elevating and floodproofing hazardous structures.
The public can view the study, submit comments and find information on
upcoming public meetings through the Corps' website. The public comment period lasts until Aug. 18.
In last week’s study, which is a revision of a draft the Corps wrote last year, the agency that “Alternative E1” could
be the “National Economic Development plan,” or the option that most aligns with the Corps’ cost-benefit criteria. Alternative E1 includes all the above mentioned measures
s, but notably omits building a dam that will essentially create a lake on the Pearl River.
The idea to pool part of the river into a lake has been a key com
ponent of proposals local officials have favored for years. From 2011 until last year, the Rankin-Hinds Flood Control District, the project’s local government sponsor, p
ushed an idea coined as “One Lake,” which would have expanded the river for recreational use. While the Corps last year decided One Lake’s cost wasn’t justifiable, the
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agency instead pitched a dialed back version of the idea as the potential National Economic Development plan.
The Corps in its new study says that plan, “Alternative D1,” may have more potential for recreation than E1
, but added that the two options have equal flood control benefit. The agency’s final selection, it wrote, will likely come down to those two proposals.
The costs of either would be considerably more than what the Corps considered last year: E1, the agency estimates
, could cost between $708 million and $753 million, while D1 could cost between $873 million and $918 million. While the Corps raised $221 million toward the project
ct in 2022, the federal government is only responsible for 65% of
costs, meaning the local flood control district, also called the levee board, would have to raise between $248 million and $321 million for the remaining balance through a combination of local taxes and state appropriations.