Local watersheds included in improvement project plans

Turrell, Jennette among communities chosen by state Black Mayors’ Association

By Stephanie Jackson

The Design Group

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas Black Mayors Association (ABMA) has announced the final selection of project planning consultants for $95.5 million urban watershed improvements to address flooding in 14 project areas across Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern Arkansas. The associaion received community input past Monday in the Federal Courtyard Plaza in Little Rock.

On May 1, eight planning consultants submitted proposals to the ABMA formal request for proposals to develop these watershed plans. From May 3 to 5, the ABMA conducted a planning proposal selection working group, where the organization met with architectural and engineering firms to review and recommend their watershed project areas proposals to the ABMA Executive Board.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s National Resources Conservation Service award is a first-ofits- kind grant to fund planning and implementation for urban watershed projects. It historically has funded rural projects.

These areas, comprised of cities, their surrounding communities, and watersheds, are:

• Hughes and Jennette Blackfish Bayou Watershed Tenmile Bayou – Fifteen Mile Bayou Watershed

• Dumas Cypress Creek – Headwaters Boeuf River Watershed Oak Log Bayou – Cypress Bayou Watershed Canal No. 43 Watershed Amos Bayou Watershed

• El Dorado Haynes Creek Watershed Salt Creek Watershed Boggy Creek Watershed City of El Dorado – Bayou de Loutre Watershed Dry Creek – Little Cornie Bayou Watershed Holmes Creek Watershed

• Madison L’Anguille River – St.

Francis River Watershed Altheimer Little Bayou Meto Watershed

• Stamps and Lewisville Lake Erling – Bodcau Creek Watershed

• Turrell Big Creek Watershed

• Eudora Grand Lake – Bayou Macon Watershed Caney Bayou Watershed Tiger Bayou Watershed Paps Slough – Bayou Macon Watershed

• Wilmot Overflow Creek Watershed Camp Bayou Watershed

• Forrest City, Haynes, and

See WATER, page A2 WATER

From page A1

Marianna Larkin Creek – L’Anguille River Watershed

• Camden Freeo Creek – Ouachita River Watershed North Bayou – Two Bayou Watershed

• Pine Bluff Bayou Bartholomew Headwaters Watershed Caney Creek – Caney Bayou Watershed Caney Creek – Arkansas River Watershed Plum Bayou – Arkansas River Watershed Cousart Bayou Headwaters – Lake Alice Watershed Imbeau Bayou Watershed Nevins Creek Watershed Upper Deep Bayou Watershed Boggy Bayou – Bayou Bartholomew Watershed

• Helena-West Helena Long Lake Bayou – Little Bee Bayou Watershed Helena-West Helena, Lake View, and Marvell Lick Creek – Big Creek Watershed

About Arkansas Black Mayors Association

The Arkansas Black Mayors Association (ABMA), established in 1972, is a non-profit, charitable, and educational organization whose primary purpose is to 1) promote and develop programs to improve educational, economic, health and social levels of citizens residing within the respective jurisdictions served by the members; 2) enhance the quality of life for the residents of the municipalities served by the membership; and 3) provide a mechanism for cooperation and the exchange of ideas among the members in areas of common concern and interest.

Currently, there are 58 Arkansas Black Mayors serving over 441,000 citizens throughout the state of Arkansas.