Pearl River Flood Risk Management
The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) plans to publish a Draft Enviromental Impact Statement for the Pearl River Flood Risk Management Project, Pearl River Watershed, Rankin and Hinds Counties, Mississippi in September 2023. According to the USACE Project website, their flood risk management alternatives for the City of Jackson include:
The local Levee Board's preferred plan for City of Jackson flood risk management is the "One Lake" Plan (Alternative C), which would dredge, widen, and deepen 10 miles of the Pearl River, removing 1860 acres of riverside wetlands and swamps, to create a new lake impoundment 9 miles south of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. American Rivers listed the Pearl River as number 3 on 2023 America’s Most Endangered Rivers due to the potential destruction that would be caused by the "One Lake" Plan.
The USACE plans to release a Final Report/Final EIS in December 2023, with the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) issuing a determination and Record of Decision in January 2024.
- Nonstructural alternatives including A (relocating structures) or A1 (additional non-structural measures such as elevation, and floodproofing)
- Alternative C - Channel Improvement (the local Levee Board's Preferred "One Lake" Plan) - excavate and widen channel, use material to enhance levees, create habitat islands and weir relocation
- A combination or hybrid alternative
- Other potential alternatives
The local Levee Board's preferred plan for City of Jackson flood risk management is the "One Lake" Plan (Alternative C), which would dredge, widen, and deepen 10 miles of the Pearl River, removing 1860 acres of riverside wetlands and swamps, to create a new lake impoundment 9 miles south of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. American Rivers listed the Pearl River as number 3 on 2023 America’s Most Endangered Rivers due to the potential destruction that would be caused by the "One Lake" Plan.
The USACE plans to release a Final Report/Final EIS in December 2023, with the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) issuing a determination and Record of Decision in January 2024.
Historical Timeline
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Potential "One Lake" Impacts
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Public Comment
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External Agency Reviews
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Hazardous Toxic Waste Sites
Click to view the Green Heart plan
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Mapping Alternative C "One Lake"
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