45 years of Flood Risk Management (FRM) efforts for Jackson and 4 separate Lake projects
The human cost of betting on another Lake project Consider the human cost of going down another labyrinthine Lake path. Just 4 years ago, in 2020, residents in NE Jackson suffered through evacuations and returned to homes inundated with up to 4 feet of floodwaters. Flood insurance costs increase every year and many homeowners are only able to purchase partial flood insurance. Hurdles to approving a Lake project Alternative D, the new Lake plan, has the same problems as the "One Lake" plan that was found to be "not feasible". It is prohibitively expensive, above the maximum budget threshold allowed by Congress; according to USFWS, it could require a potential $1 billion+ in environmental mitigation costs; it disturbs hazardous waste sites that will introduce contaminants to our drinking water source; according to MDOT, it could cause failure of 7 bridges including I-20 and I-80; and it will CAUSE flooding of up to 5" or greater at first floor elevation to 52 structures in federally-designated “disadvantaged communities”. With rapidly rising flood insurance costs and the threat of further flooding, residents literally cannot afford to wait. The CTO Alternatives D and E will require a lengthy process of additional NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) studies and analysis. Many critical studies and analyses are missing or incomplete in the 2024 USACE DEIS. The USACE states in the document that many of the studies required NEPA process will not be conducted until the Pre-Construction, Engineering, and Design (PED) Phase, which occurs after the USACE Assistant Secretary of Civil Works makes his Record of Decision about the project. A few of the further required studies are listed below. None of these studies will be required for Alternative A1.
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AuthorPearl Riverkeeper is a licensed member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, the largest and fastest growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water. Archives
July 2024
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