JACKSON, Miss. Floods left mushy, smelly messes hundreds of houses in Mississippi’s capital in 2020 – a recurring problem when heavy rains push the Pearl River beyond its banks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it plans to make a final recommendation by the end of this year on flood control plans for the Pearl River Basin in the Jackson area, after decades of discussion among local, state and federal officials. .
The biggest point of contention is the possibility of developing a new lake near Jackson. It would be south of and smaller than a reservoir built outside the city more than 60 years ago.
As Jackson-area residents and business owners push for flood mitigation, people are also expressing concern about the potential environmental impact on areas downstream of Mississippi and Louisiana.
The corps is wrapping up a public comment period on a report released in June that included several flood control proposals, such as elevating, waterproofing or purchasing some homes in the Jackson area; development of a new lake; or the addition of dikes.
During a hearing last month, Deion Thompson told Corps officials that he had to evacuate his home in northeast Jackson because of flooding in 2020. He said he wants to protect the homes without destroying the environment.
“We’re just sitting ducks waiting for the next flood to happen,” said Thompson, who has lived in the same neighborhood for more than 20 years.
The Pearl River originates northeast of Jackson and flows about 490 miles (789 kilometers) through central and southern Mississippi and southern Louisiana before emptying into the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Jackson area also experienced significant flooding in 1961, 1979, 1982, and 1983, with some impact along the Pearl River downstream.
During a public hearing in Slidell, Louisiana, Gerald Morris said he has lived in Slidell since 1977 and experienced flooding in 1979 and 1983. He said he has a bachelor’s degree in geological engineering, a master’s degree in geophysics and a doctorate in earth sciences.
“If you can show that your various options that you are considering regarding dredging and they would all reduce the amount of water coming down into the Pearl River floodplain, then that might be acceptable,” Morris said. Until you can do that, I violently oppose any kind of increase in the amount of water coming down from Mississippi to the Louisiana coast.”
Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is among Mississippi officials who have pushed for federal funding to improve flood control in the Jackson area.
Four members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation sent a letter Monday to Michael Connor, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, about how flood control proposals for central Mississippi could impact their state.
“In southeast Louisiana, our unique landscape, created in part by the Pearl River system, is essential to our way of life, culture and economy,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Rep. Troy Carter and the Senators Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy. said in the letter.
“Before this project can move forward, we need to know that it will not decrease the flow of water downstream, affect our coastal restoration efforts, or result in additional flooding in areas downstream of the proposed project,” Louisiana officials wrote.
A board of directors in central Mississippi, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood Control and Drainage District, has advocated for Jackson’s development of a new 1,700-acre (688-hectare) lake along the Pearl River. This proposal is called the “One Lake” project because it is a change to a proposal made years ago to create two new lakes.
The Corps of Engineers report said construction of “One Lake” would cost between $1 billion and $2.1 billion, and the expense would be too high for the amount of flood protection the lake would provide.
The engineers’ report presented alternatives that would cost less, including a scaled-down proposal for a new lake that would not encompass environmentally sensitive areas.
Greg Divinity, a pastor in Jackson, said officials have been talking about improving flood control measures since he was a junior in high school.
“Now my grandchildren are juniors in high school,” Divinity said during Jackson’s hearing while urging the Corps of Engineers to move forward with a plan. “If we continue to kick the can down the road in the future, my grandchildren’s grandchildren will be in their first year of high school and will still be kicking the can down the road.”
