America's Most Endangered Rivers - (Page 37) The Threat A group of developers propose to dam and dredge the Pearl River in the Jackson area to create one or two lakes and construct as many as 25 islands for private commercial development. A number of variations on this plan also are being considered, including a proposal supported by the local levee board that involves construction of levees only along the Pearl. These projects, ranging in cost from $200 million to $1 billion, are being promoted as providing flood protection with the added benefit of development potential. In reality they would increase flood damages by placing development in low-lying areas and possibly the loss of wetlands, which provide natural flood protection. The artificial lakes created by these projects would also form a shallow, murky trap for litter, sewage from leaking lines, sediment and polluted runoff contaminated by oil and other chemicals from parking lots and streets. This will make the artificial lakes vulnerable to stagnation and summer algal blooms. Through the 2007 passage of the federal Water Resources Development Act, Congress gave the Corps the authority to spend $205 million of taxpayers’ money to build this ill-conceived project. However, the Corps and local leaders can still put a stop to this destructive and costly proposal. T h e Pe a r l a n d G l o b a l Wa r m i n g Promoting development in the floodplain and destroying the natural flood protection benefits of wetlands has been a recipe for disaster for generations, but is particularly unwise as the climate crisis brings even more severe storms. Dams and levees can — and do — fail, and when they do the impacts can be catastrophic. Healthy rivers and wetlands buffer communities from drought and floods cheaply and more reliably than only dams and levees. Local leaders should protect healthy watersheds and boost the local economy by promoting recreation in natural areas along the Pearl River. 3,400 acres of bottomland hardwood forests along the Pearl River. This would cause significant harm to the fish and wildlife they support, including a number of threatened and endangered species. The project could impair water quality in downstream communities through increased sedimentation and chemical runoff from developed areas and increase flooding along the Pearl and its tributaries. Loss of bottomland forest cover and new development would increase noise and air pollution and likely increase temperatures. The artificial lakes would inundate much of LeFleur’s Bluff State Park and the trail system of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, which are enjoyed by more than 300,000 people each year. Critical adverse impacts such as increased flooding and water pollution also could be felt as far downstream as Columbia, Mississippi. This proposal could affect the delicate salinity balance in Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound that is essential for the oysters, shrimp and fish living in the estuary, and for the economies of the coastal communities that depend on these resources. Freshwater from the Pearl is important for the survival of coastal wetlands, the best natural defense against storm surges. What Can Be Done Despite Congressional authorization of an articial lakes project, the Corps is not required to construct it. The Corps and local levee board should reject this misguided project and instead conduct a comprehensive watershed analysis that addresses all needs in the Pearl River basin, including ecological restoration and water quality improvement. In evaluating any needed approaches to reducing flood damages, this study should rely heavily on the use of nonstructural approaches that will both protect communities and improve the health of the Pearl River. What’s At Stake This combination of dams, dredging, and development would have devastating impacts both locally and downstream. According to preliminary estimates, the project would dredge, fill or permanently flood almost 5,500 acres of federally designated wetlands and more than CONTACT INFO Melissa Samet, American Rivers, 415-482-8150, msamet@AmericanRivers.org Cathy Shropshire, Mississippi Wildlife Federation, 601-206-5703, cshropshire@mswf.org Stephanie Powell, Gulf Restoration Network, 504-525-1528, ext. 204, stephanie@healthygulf.org Tom Pullen, 601-372-9133 TO TA K E AC T I O N : W W W. AMERICANRIVERS.ORG/PEARL DAVID LEGG http://www.mswildlife.org/ http://www.healthygulf.org/ http://www.americanrivers.org/pearl
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