New ‘One Lake’ Jackson Flood-Control Plan Adds Levees

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has modified contested plans to protect Jackson communities from Pearl River flooding, adding new features and contingencies that raise the project’s expected cost by hundreds of millions of dollars.

On July 3, the Corps issued a Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement (RDEIS) with two similar proposals to address persistent, destructive flooding from the Pearl. One of those plans is a scaled-down version of “One Lake,” the decades-old, continually evolving scheme to build a lake along the river that would offer flood relief and development opportunities—but could have significant consequences downstream.

The two plans were originally part of a Corps study from June 2024, which received over 6,000 public comments following its release, the agency states on its project website. The RDEIS amends those plans to include new levees near flood-prone neighborhoods—a change it calculates would protect up to 745 additional homes.

The new levees would be located around the Canton Club and McLeod neighborhoods in northeast Jackson, as well as along the Cany Creek tributary in South Jackson and across the river in Richland.

The adjusted plans otherwise closely resemble the proposals from last June’s study. The “One Lake” successor, referred to as Alternative D1 in the RDEIS, calls for digging up over 950 acres along the Pearl and building a dam just south of Interstate 20, creating a narrow, winding reservoir spanning 1,556 acres. The second plan, dubbed Alternative E1, mimics D1’s excavation footprint but excludes the dam.

Both projects would require extensive mitigation to offset harm to local habitats and species, though the Corps expects the dam’s inclusion to make D1 costlier and more environmentally destructive. The RDEIS adds contingencies of 47% to both plans’ projected budgets, driving up the cost of non-levee features like excavation and significantly inflating each alternative’s price tag, according to supplemental Corps materials.

Of the two alternatives, the RDEIS singles out E1 as the better candidate for Pearl River flood management, citing its lower implementation risks and superior benefit-to-cost ratio. The revised cost estimates for both plans have raised concerns among local groups, however, who warn that the overall project has become even more cost-prohibitive since last year.

“We know that Jackson needs flood risk management,” Abby Braman, executive director of the nonprofit restoration group Pearl Riverkeeper, told the Mississippi Free Press on July 10. “We just have concerns that both price tags are so high that it might preclude their implementation.”

Map labeled Alternative D1 Potential Sites for Recreational Opportunities — A diagram of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ modified “One Lake” plan, referred to as “Alternative D1” in the agency’s Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement released on July 3, 2025. The plan calls for digging up over 950 acres along the Pearl River and building a dam just south of Interstate 20, creating a narrow, winding reservoir spanning 1,556 acres. Click or tap to read the full proposal.

With the additional levees and contigencies, the Corps projects that Alternative D1 would cost between $873 million and $917 million and accrue total benefits of about $25 million annually (a figure that encompasses reductions in flood damage and recreational opportunities around the new lake). Alternative E1, meanwhile, would cost an estimated $708 million to $753 million while providing the same amount of flood relief and monetary recreational benefits as D1, according to the RDEIS. In 2022, Congress allocated $221 million toward the project.

Regardless of which alternative is selected, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District—the local project sponsor—would be responsible for 35% of its overall cost, which translates to over $300 million for Alternative D1 and up to $263 million for E1. Much of that cost would be passed on to residents in the district through higher taxes.

Rankin-Hinds Flood Control District attorney Keith Turner disputed the updated cost estimates for both flood-control plans, stressing that the Corps is using overly conservative figures to calculate construction and maintenance costs. By replacing the Corps’ numbers with actual quotes from contractors, Turner said he is confident that the cost of each plan can be reduced by “hundreds of millions of dollars.”

“It’s a combination of using realistic numbers for individual tasks and jobs, as well as taking away some of the excessive Corps policy procedures that add in a lot of waste,” Turner told the Mississippi Free Press on July 11.

a small creek flowing through woods — Pearl River tributaries like Purple Creek flow through some of Jackson’s most flood-prone neighborhoods. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ new lake proposal does not include measures to address flooding from these tributaries. Photo by Illan Ireland

He and local business coalitions support the trimmed-down “One Lake” scheme, arguing that the RDEIS underestimates the plan’s potential for revitalizing Jackson and expanding recreation and economic opportunities in the capital city.

Even with the Corps’ revisions, the RDEIS is missing information that residents say is critical to understanding how Alternatives D1 and E1 would impact their communities and the larger Pearl River watershed. The document does not include fleshed-out mitigation strategies for either of the plans considered, for example, nor does it contain the sedimentation studies needed to gauge potential impacts on water quality and conveyance downstream of metro Jackson.

Additionally, Alternatives D1 and E1 do not contain features to address recurring flooding from the Pearl River’s tributaries—a major source of inundations around Jackson that have forced large-scale evacuations in recent years. Tamitha Dill, a McLeod resident and president of 3CCT (a community group representing northeast Jackson neighborhoods), expressed frustration over the omission, noting that a project this expensive should prioritize flood relief over factors like recreation.

“There were definitely some gaps in this proposal,” Dill said of the RDEIS, adding that the Corps must do a better job of centering residents in its final flood-management plans. “There’s definitely a need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a solution … that puts people first.”

People at a public forum, one person standing at front to address the panel of seated people on the stage at the front of the room — Members of the public voiced overwhelming opposition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ new lake proposal during a July 11 public meeting in Slidell, La. Photo by Illan Ireland

The Army Corps is accepting public comments on the RDEIS through Aug. 18. Information on how to submit comments and contact the agency is available on the project website. The Corps will also hold public meetings to discuss the RDEIS and its adjusted flood-control proposals on the dates and locations below:

Tuesday, July 29, 6 p.m.

Monticello, Mississippi

Monticello Civic Center
125 E. Broad Street, Monticello, MS

Wednesday, July 30, 2 p.m.

Slidell, Louisiana

Slidell Municipal Auditorium

2056 2nd Street, Slidell, LA

Thursday, July 31, 2 p.m.

Jackson, Mississippi

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church

5400 Old Canton Road, Jackson, MS

Thursday, July 31, 6 p.m.

Jackson, Mississippi