By Anthony Warren
Published: Jun. 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM CDT
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLBT) - Federal officials recently determined a much-discussed flood control plan for the Pearl River cannot be justified based on project costs.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last week reported the One Lake Proposal would cost between $1 billion and $2.1 billion to construct, and, as such, could not be justified based on the agency’s benefit-cost analysis.
The findings were released in a Draft Environmental Impact Statement published by the Corps on June 7.
The proposal was one of several that were reviewed by the federal agency. The review was needed to determine whether the project could move forward, and whether federal funds could be used to construct it.
Other proposals evaluated included a plan that called for floodproofing existing structures within the 100-year floodplain, and one that would essentially be a scaled-back alternative of One Lake.
Details on those alternatives are shown in the chart below.
| Description | First Cost | Structures benefiting | Environmental Impact | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative 1A (Non-structural alternative) | Includes elevating residential structures up to 13 feet above ground level; non-residential structures up to 3 feet | $50,072,900 | 143; assuming 100 percent participation from residents | No direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts to forested uplands anticipated |
| Alternative 1A and Canton Club Levee | Includes elevating residential structures up to 13 feet above ground level; non-residential structures up to 3 feet; and constructing of 1.5-mile levee around Canton Club neighborhood | $60,072,903 | 393 homes; 143 benefit from Alternative 1A; 250 structures benefit from Canton Club levee, with 165 no longer flooding | Unknown |
| Alternative C (One Lake Plan) | Creates 1,700-acre lake from north of Lakeland Drive to south of I-20; demolition of existing weir; construction of new weir and fish ladder; dredging river; upgrading federal and non-federal levees; and adding additional pumps | $1.03 billion to $2.12 billion | 709; However, could induce flooding to 83 structures in the study area; could increase flooding along Pearl River tributaries due to higher water levels | Directly impact 315 acres of emergent wetlands; 909 acres of scrub/shrub wetland habitat; 150 acres of swamp habitat; would transition those wetlands to open water. Also requires mitigation of several hazardous waste sites |
| Alternative CTO (without a weir) | No lake; includes clearing and grubbing, dredging river; improving federal and non-federal levees; upgrading existing pumping system | $399 million to $508 million | 548 structures in the 100-year floodplain: 316 no longer flood; 232 would continue to flood but take on less water; 52 structures in communities of concern would see increased flooding | Impacts approximately 34 acres of emergent wetlands; 499 acres of bottomland hardwood; 55 acres of swamp habitat |
| Alternative CTO (with a Weir) | Creates 1,700-acre lake; includes dredging of river, and building weir and fish ladder; making improvements to federal and non-federal levees; and adding additional pumps | $487 million to $655 million | 548 structures in the 100-year floodplain: 316 no longer flood; 232 would continue to flood but take on less water; 52 structures in communities of concern would see increased flooding | Impacts approximately 34 acres of emergent wetlands; 499 acres of bottomland hardwood; 55 acres of swamp habitat |
The least expensive of the proposals are “Alternative 1A” and a combination plan that includes “Alternative 1A” and the construction of a new levee around the Canton Club neighborhood.
The Canton Club area in Northeast Jackson was one of the hardest-hit areas during the 2020 Pearl River Flood, when waters rose to 36.67 feet, or more than 8 feet above flood level.
The Northeast Jackson neighborhood also experienced severe flooding during the much larger Easter Flood of 1979, when the river crested at 43.28 feet.
“Repetitive flooding can cause permanent changes to neighborhoods. Evidence of high hazard, low-income communities becoming destabilized over time due to an inability to recover from repetitive flood events are numerous,” the DEIS states. “This process, while gradual, generally leads to a segregation of high- and low-income households, amplifying inequalities and placing vulnerable households at further risk.”
The Canton Club levee would run from along Beechcrest Drive, East Sedgwick Court, Foxboro Drive, and River Road, before ending behind Christ United Methodist Church.
The levee’s construction would cost about $10 million, in addition the $50 million Corps officials estimate it would take to floodproof and buy out other structures within the floodplain.
In all, about 250 homes would see some flood reduction in the event of a 100-year-flood, including 165 that would experience no flooding during such an event.
However, Alternative 1A does have some “significant risks,” Col. Christopher Klein wrote in his commander’s report.
Klein, the commander of the Corps’ Vicksburg District, released his 17-page summary on Tuesday, highlighting findings in the 300-page DEIS.
Among risks, Klein says residents in the affected area might not be able to floodproof their homes due to “ineligible project costs.” Residents in floodproofed homes also could end up stranded if floods impact roadways and emergency services. Municipal water and sewer systems also could be impacted, preventing residents “from returning or utilizing impacted structures during and post flood.”
Other proposals evaluated in the DEIS include One Lake, referred to as “Alternative C,” and two other alternatives that would include components of One Lake.
One Lake is identified as the locally preferred plan, with it being backed by the Rankin-Hinds Flood and Drainage Control District. The group, along with the Pearl River Vision Foundation, have sponsored the study of the project for years.
If constructed, the project would include the creation of a roughly 1,700-acre lake on the Pearl from north of Lakeland Drive to south of I-20 near Richland. Work would include making channel improvements, dredging the lake, demolishing an existing weir near the J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Facility and building a new weir and fish ladder downstream.
The project also calls for bolstering the existing federal levee system, as well as the non-federal levee ring built around the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant.
According to the DEIS, “Construction... would require relocations and/or improvements to various public and private utilities and infrastructure,” it would also require the creation of new habitats to mitigate habitat loss within the project’s footprint.
Additional work would be needed to stabilize numerous bridges, with the Mississippi Department of Transportation agreeing to collaborate with the Flood Control District to ensure those measures are put in place.
Several hazardous sites would also have to be mitigated, with “capping and bank stabilization” required for a landfill near Jefferson Street, and the excavation and removal of approximately half of the “closed and sealed Gallatin Street Landfill site.”
An alternative introduced in the DEIS, known as the “Combination Thereof Plan,” would address some of the challenges presented by the lake project.
Like One Lake, it would include the construction of a 1,700-acre lake, but would reduce hazardous waste mitigation costs, in part, by not taking in those sites. It also would provide opportunities to increase public access to the Pearl River, which is now limited.
However, One Lake was dinged, in part, for being too expensive.
Documents obtained by WLBT last year showed One Lake would run between $1.3 and $2.1 billion, with another $492 million to $1.5 million needed to for hazardous waste mitigation.
By comparison, the CTO plan including a weir would cost, on the high end, around $655 million, the Corps reports.
Much of that could be funded with federal dollars. In 2007, Congress authorized spending up to $205.8 million for a flood control project along the Pearl as part of that year’s Water Resources Development Act. Based on inflation, that amount has been recalculated to $440 million, the commander’s report states.
Meanwhile, the Corps announced in 2022 it had received $221 million for flood control as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
For One Lake or either CTO, additional authorizations would be needed due to their higher costs, the Commander’s Report states. Meanwhile, additional analysis also would be required if the CTO is selected.
Regardless the plan chosen, the non-federal sponsor (Rankin-Hinds) would be required to pay for 35 percent of the costs, with no federal funds being used to cover those obligations.
Commander's Report - One Lake by aswarren77 on Scribd
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