Keith Turner, an attorney with Jackson law firm Watkins & Eager gave the Rotary Club of North Jackson an update on Jackson’s flood control projects.
This is the one that started out as John McGowan’s Two Lakes, then became One Lake and is now called the “Pearl River Federal Risk Management Project.”
The plan is a far cry from the McGowan’s grand vision of turning the swamp in the middle of the Jackson metropolitan area into a beautiful river-based park and urban hub. But it should go a long way to reduce the risk of flooding by 92 percent and save thousands of homeowners from paying huge flood insurance premiums.
The money has been allocated by the feds, but local governments must come up with 35 percent of the funds. Construction could begin by next year.
The plan deepens and widens the Pearl River below the spillway, allowing for faster water flow which will prevent the Pearl River basin bottleneck that causes water to creep into low-lying homes.
All of the work in this project will occur within the existing levees. The widening of the Pearl will occur from Lefleur’s Bluff State Park and then south for about five miles. The Pearl north of Lefleur’s Bluff will not be affected.
The project could cost between $450 million and $900 million, depending on final design and contingency estimates.
Turner said that removing soil from areas between the levees, the project will increase the river’s capacity without requiring the levees themselves to be moved. The dirt will then be used to create new landfill that will increase access to the expanded river and provide recreational and development opportunities.
The local sponsor of the project is the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood & Drainage Control District comprised of the following members:
• City of Flowood -Mayor Smith
• City of Jackson -Mayor Horhn
• City of Pearl -Mayor Windham
• City of Richland -Mayor Burns
• Hinds County Board of Supervisors -Supervisor Graham
• Rankin County Board of Supervisors –Supervisor Gaines
• State of Mississippi -PJ Waldrop (MDA)
Turner pointed out that Rankin County will be the biggest beneficiary of the plan. There are only148 buildings, 902 people and $170 million in property behind the Jackson Fairgrounds Levee. But there are 2,719 buildings, 9,868 people and $970 million in property behind the Pearl/Flowood Levee.
The long-debated flood control project took a major step forward last week after a key federal official favored a combination of two design alternatives.
The decision came from the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, who determined that both the federally preferred plan and the locally preferred plan were environmentally acceptable and technically feasible. More steps are in progress for the offical final approval.
Project officials say the selected plan combines elements of the two alternatives but will closely resemble what engineers have called Alternative D1.
Turner said, “We started studying this project in 2012,” one project representative said during a recent public presentation. “At one point we evaluated nearly 60 different alternatives to find a solution that provided flood protection while minimizing environmental impacts.”
Turner described the plan as a modified river channel.
The project would widen portions of the Pearl River between existing levees rather than deepen the river channel itself.
Engineers plan to excavate areas along the banks between the levees to improve the conveyance of floodwaters, allowing water to move more quickly through the Jackson area during heavy rain events.
Currently the floodplain north of Lakeland Drive is several miles wide, but as the river flows south into the levee system built in the 1960s, the channel becomes much narrower. That restriction can cause water to back up and contribute to flooding upstream.
By removing soil from areas between the levees, officials say the project will increase the river’s capacity without requiring the levees themselves to be moved.
Another point Turner emphasized during the presentation is that the Pearl River already contains a weir near Jackson’s historic waterworks plant.
That structure, first built in the late 1800s and modified in the 1920s, helps maintain water levels for the city’s water supply.
Because of the existing structure, the river north of the waterworks area is already partially impounded.The new project would relocate the weir farther downstream and make it larger. “We’re not really adding a weir to the river,” the presenter said. “We’re essentially moving the existing control point downstream.”
Turner said the project would also create new opportunities for public access to the Pearl River, which is currently difficult for residents to reach.
Plans include potential riverfront trails, recreational areas, and space for economic development along the riverbanks.
Cities that have invested in riverfront redevelopment — including Oklahoma City, Chattanooga, and Dallas — have seen significant economic benefits, Turner said.
“Right now, there are few public places in Jackson where people can easily reach the river.
“Most people in Jackson never see the Pearl River unless they’re driving over it on a bridge,” Turner said.
The project could also address environmental problems along the river, including two former landfill sites and an area known as Creosote Slough, where a wood-treatment facility once operated.
Some downstream communities, particularly in Louisiana, have raised concerns that the project could worsen flooding.
However, multiple studies conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and independent engineers concluded that the project is unlikely to create significant downstream impacts.
Officials say only about 8 to 10 percent of the water flowing through Jackson originates from the upper Pearl River, with much of the downstream flow coming from tributaries such as the Strong River and Bogue Chitto.
Local funding could come from assessments, bonds, state contributions, or revenue generated by economic development along the river.
