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State Agencies Silenced on Lake Plans?

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks remains strangely silent and without comment on two plans to partially inundate a state park stagger drunkenly forward.

Brad Rogers

For better or worse, Pearl Mayor Brad Rogers proved he's his own man when it comes to making a decision on the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District. Rogers was one of the five members of the levee board who voted in favor of a motion to adopt a levee plan for flood control along the Pearl River, as well as one of four mayors on the board who favored levees. Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads explained that he had constituents who wanted the board to get moving on some kind of flood-control plan, be it levees or a lake plan, and warned that the Corps had limited their choices by pulling the plug on the lake option.

The Challenge of Paying for ‘One Lake’

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will give its final "yay" or "nay" on a long-awaited and long-overdue plan to ease flooding along the Pearl River.

Hands Off the Levee Board

We weren't surprised to learn that supporters of the Two Lakes Pearl development project are pushing the state Legislature to take more control of the local Levee Boardreconfiguring the appointees so that the board might finally support the controversial project that can't seem to get "yes" for an answer. The move isn't subtle.

Flood Control Concerns

We don't know what the lake footprint looks like at this point or how much of LeFleur's Bluff State Park will be condemned if a lake is built.

Effort to Rework Levee Board Fails

A play to support a controversial lakes plan died on the House calender last week. The bill, H.B. 1549, proposed changing the make-up of the Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board. Authored by Rep. Mary Coleman, D-Jackson, and co-sponsored by Rep. Bill Denny, R-Jackson, and Rita Martinson, R-Madison, the bill would have expanded the Levee Board's membership with state appointees and extra members representing Hinds County.

'One Lake’ Plan Moving Forward

Finding a way to prevent the kind of flooding that left downtown Jackson underwater in the Great Easter Flood of 1979—while still getting the most use out of the river with development and recreational use—is the stated goal of the Pearl River Vision Foundation.

Saving Two Lakes: Is It Worth It?

The Pearl River is an easy force of nature to contend with, providing you are an optimist about it.

McGowan Non-Profit Foots Study Bill

Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads says the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District (aka the Levee Board) is working with a non-profit foundation backed by McGowan Working Partners for one reason: cash.

McGowan Reveals New Lake Specifics

Jackson oilman John McGowan said Monday that his latest lake plan will cost about $150 million and require the use of eminent domain to "condemn" some property into a "public project."

Lake 255 Makes its Debut

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board is considering decreasing the size and depth of its Lower Lake plan to save portions of LeFleur's Bluff Park and its adjoining campgrounds and hiking trails from inundation.

One-lake Project Could Offer Flood Reduction

Early analyses of a proposed one-lake development along the Pearl River reveals that flood-reduction benefits are possible, said Pearl River Vision Foundation team member Dallas Quinn.

Corps: One Lake Plan Seems to Work

Gary Walker, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers' Vicksburg district, told members of the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District this week that flood reduction appears does possible in a proposed one-lake development along the Pearl River. Walker said he expects the Corps to issue a letter to that effect by the end of the week

Congressional Delegation Blesses Lake 255

Mississippi's two U.S. senators and Jackson metro members of Congree sent an Aug. 5 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, urging the Corps to include a small lake design in its preferred levees-only plan. The proposed "one lake" plan would not flood valuable wetlands north of Lakeland Drive.

Levees Worked Well in Jackson Flood, But ‘One Lake’ Still District’s Choice

"I'm glad we're conducting the meeting today. I'm glad we can dispel some of the rumors and some of the myths about the One Lake project," Hinds County District 1 Supervisor Robert Graham, an enthusiastic supporter of the project, said. "There are two things we can do as it relates to flooding and flooding mitigation. We can do something, or we can do nothing."

The Palins: What They Earn and Own

The Anchorage Daily News today reports on financial information about Sarah and Todd Palin that hasn't previously been disclosed, and prior to her federal tax records, which she has not yet released. Love those socialistic oil royalties:

Levee Board Pushs Corps on Lakes Plans, Again

At a meeting this morning, the Levee Board again pushed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to justify the $4 million the Corps has said it will cost just to revisit the feasibility and costs of two controversial Lakes plans it says are unlikely to happen.

Vet The New Lake 255 Plan

After more than a decade, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board came to a tentative compromise on a lake plan that does not appear to be in opposition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' preferred plan to expand Pearl River levees.

The Billion-Dollar Levee Question

Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen came out last week as an avid opponent of a levee expansion, saying it is too expensive. His choice, Two Lakes, is also expensive, and perhaps more so.

McGowan Funding Initial One-Lake Study

The Pearl River Vision Foundation is paying for the initial study of a one-lake flood-control development along the Pearl River, the group's founder John McGowan said today. "We're going to fund it up until the point it becomes a Corps project," McGowan said after the monthly, Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, or Levee Board, meeting at Flowood City Hall. "Me, mainly, with maybe some funding from other private entities," McGowan said.

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