27 Islands

Clarion Ledger: Northeast Jackson developer and oilman John McGowan has given the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District board a new two lake flood control plan with 27 developable islands and almost 700 acres of waterfront property along the Pearl River to consider. (Read the Full Story)

Also in the Clarion Ledger: Bill gives flood control group OK to include economic boon in plans - The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District has received more leeway to incorporate privately funded elements into a flood-control plan through the U.S. Water Resources Development Act.

The act's adoption last week gives the board the ability to advance a project that includes economic and recreational benefits as long as those costs are assumed by the local entities, said Lee Youngblood, spokesman for Sen. Trent Lott.

The act changes the way plans are evaluated in terms of cost benefit analysis. Until now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could not consider recreational or economic benefits when evaluating flood control plans, he said.

With the Water Resources Development Act, the Corps can consider these benefits and keep them separate from what federal tax dollars contribute to, he said. (Read The Full Story Here)