County receives $23M for flooding

County receives $23M for flooding

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County officials have secured more than $23 million in federal funding for flood prevention measures in Canton that will include a reservoir with the specific goal of reducing flooding inside the city, officials have said. 

The Madison County Board of Supervisors announced on Tuesday, May 24, they have been formally notified by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Divisions of Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Watershed Flooding Prevention Operations program, that the County will be awarded $23.55 million for flood prevention for the city of Canton. 

District 4 Supervisor Karl Banks said the city of Canton is enacting its own flood mitigation program and that this county project will aim to prevent the significant flow of water form places in the county into the city. 

“This money will have a significant impact on stopping the flooding in the city of Can- ton because our efforts will focus on the Upper Bear Creek,” Banks said. “Canton’s flooding issues can be significantly mitigated through this process.” 

A watershed is an area of land that drains rainfall to a common outlet. 

Banks said the project will include a reservoir to slow the release of water into town as well as other flood water mitigation systems. 

Banks said he expected the engineering, design and early implementation phase of the project will take about 18 months. 

“We will do as much as we can as quickly as we can,” Banks said. 

The Madison County Board of Supervisors is the local sponsor and will oversee the project in conjunction with the state and USDA. 

“I offer a special ‘thank you’ to my colleagues on the Board who were supportive of this initiative, having the shared foresight to study this issue and to the local, regional, and national USDA representatives who helped secure this important financial commitment,” Banks said. 

The money is based upon reimbursement of up to the award amount of $23.55 mil- lion. 






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