Several creekbanks and adjacent properties in eastern Tallahatchie County are better protected from the effects of erosion after recent bank stabilization and levee work.
Tallahatchie County government partnered with the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to sponsor the bank stabilization and levee rehabilitation efforts valued at more than $1.4 million at four sites.
According to NRCS, the sites and their total cost were:
» Ascalmore Creek along a portion of Ascalmore Creek Road, $215,685
» South Fork Tillatoba Creek along Honeysuckle Drive, $887,058
» Tillatoba Creek near Highway 35, $253,470
» North Tillatoba Creek levee off North Creek Road, $84,060
This photo of South Fork Tillatoba Creek along Honeysuckle Drive, Charleston, was taken before the recent bank stabilization work as shown on front page. (Photo by Tiffany Franklin)
Through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP), the NRCS funded 75% of the construction costs of these projects, while the county picked up the remaining 25% largely through in-kind contributions of engineering services, use of county labor and equipment, and rock riprap.
Tallahatchie County Engineer Kelly Greenwood said the federal funding “allowed the county to complete these bank stabilization and levee projects to protect important infrastructure.” He added, “Without the partnership with NRCS, it would have been difficult if not impossible for Tallahatchie County to fund these important projects.”
The emergency program is designed to help safeguard people and property following natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes.
The stabilization projects conducted in Tallahatchie County addressed creekbanks and levees that were impacted by heavy rains, rising waters and flooding, all of which led to increased soil erosion and endangered adjacent areas.
In an email, Paul Rodrigue, an NRCS supervisory engineer based in Grenada, noted that EWPP is designed to protect public infrastructure, including roads, bridges and other properties, from further damage in the event of subsequent storms.
The program does not fund the repair of roads or bridges themselves, but it stabilizes the soil around them to prevent failure, he said.
Two other EWPP projects in Tallahatchie County — one involving five construction sites with a total price tag of $416,373, and another featuring four sites at a cost of $400,463.25 — have been funded, as well, Rodrigue explained.
IN THE PHOTO: Viewing recent bank stabilization work along South Fork Tillatoba Creek near Honeysuckle Drive are (from left) Tallahatchie County Chancery Clerk/Administrator Anita Greenwood, Tallahatchie County Engineer Kelly Greenwood, Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationist Terry Todd, Tallahatchie County Soil and Water Conservation District administrator Tiffany Franklin and commissioner Bryant Douglas, and Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors President Johnny Goodwin. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
