Say No to One Lake and Yes to a cleaner Pearl

We the undersigned, oppose the Rankin Hinds Pearl River flood control project, also known to locals as the One Lake Project. Our River is barley navigable, in low water months as it is. The Lower Pearl Watershed is one of the least altered River systems in America. . Hurricanes Katrina and Isaac left a lot of debris in the flood plain that found it's way into the river system. The Pearl River below the 31st Parallel (most northern boundary line of Washington Parish) has not been dredged or cleaned since the 1970's, not even after Katrina or Isaac. We, the undersigned, believe: if Jackson wants to fix their flooding problem they should clean the Pearl (below the proposed development site all the way to Lake Pontchartrain), before altering the river upstream. Jackson, MS is not the only city experiencing an increase in flooding. Slidell, Pearl River, Walkiah, Picayune, Bogalusa, Columbia... all those areas are seeing increased flooding.

The USACE approved the Diversion at Walkiah Bluff, MS and swore it would split the Pearl's water 50/50. The water was split 80/20 and the USACE doesn't have the money to fix it. Studies were conducted before they built the diversion. We are opposed to altering the Pearl near Jackson based on studies. Common sense tells us that if a ditch isn't clean it don't drain right. We wish for common sense to prevail. The Pearl River floodplain below Jackson should be cleaned before any projects are allowed, including...... but not limited to the Rankin Hinds Pearl River Basin flood control project.

Cleaning or spot dredging the Pearl below Jackson will help the flood waters get to the Gulf faster. Cleaning or spot dredging the Pearl will also open the Lower Pearls for safe navigation. Many lives have been lost on the Pearl in the past. The Diversion has claimed 5 lives and the debris in the river has claimed several.