LEBANON, Tenn. (April 12, 2023) – A planning team with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District met with Wilson County officials this morning to begin moving forward with a watershed study focused on several local creeks.
The Wilson County local government requested planning assistance and a watershed study that focuses on flood risk management and updated flood mapping of the 100-year and 500-year floodplains. Impacts of population growth and increased development to the floodplain will also be evaluated. Provisions of Section 22 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1974, as amended, provide authority for the Corps of Engineers to assist non-federal entities in preparing comprehensive plans for the development, utilization, and conservation of water and related land resources.
Tom Brashear, Wilson County Floodplain administrator, said the County needs up-to-date flood inundation information county-wide and this partnership is the first step in doing so. The Corps of Engineers will assess streams within the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Reservoir watershed, with Spencer Creek watershed to be the first assessed. The study will focus on analyzing current and future flood risk to Spencer Creek and its tributaries, while also providing tools for city planners and emergency personnel to prepare and respond to flood events. Future efforts under a new agreement may assess flood risk at Barton’s Creek, Sinking Creek, and Spring Creek, with the potential to study Hurricane Creek and the karst region of the larger Stones River in the Percy Priest Reservoir watershed.
Retired Col. and District 5 Representative Jerry McFarland said the study is extremely important for the county and the people who live near the creek in the Laguardo area, especially as areas upstream are developed. He added that since the 2010 flood the county has experienced flood events not experienced before.
“The deliverables from the Corps in this first project, which is Spencer Creek, hopefully will enlighten us to move on to Barton’s Creek, Spring Creek and Subs Creek, and others, to be able to predict flooding and what damage is going to take place and in what areas,” McFarland said. “This should give us a tool to predict flooding... we just want to be prepared for it.”
The Corps of Engineers and Wilson County signed a Letter of Agreement March 20, 2023, that authorizes the Corps to provide technical assistance through the Corps of Engineers’ Planning Assistance to States Program.
“We look forward to working with Mayor Randall Hutto and his team to provide valuable floodplain information that can be utilized by the local communities to mitigate future flood risk,” said Ashley Fuentes, project manager for the PAS study.
The total cost for technical assistance to conduct this watershed study is $350,000, which is cost shared at 50-percent by the federal government and 50-percent by the sponsor. The study is expected to be completed in a two-year timeframe.
The public can obtain news, updates and information from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District on the district’s website at www.lrn.usace.army.mil, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nashvillecorps and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/nashvillecorps. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest Nashville District employment and contracting opportunities at https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-army-corps-of-engineers-nashville-district.