The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working in close coordination with the Johnson County Fiscal Court and City of Paintsville officials on the Johnson County Flood Risk Management Project, which is intended to reduce flood risk for the city of Paintsville, Kentucky.
This project is authorized by Section 202 of the Energy and Water Development Appropriation Act of 1981. Section 202 grants USACE the authority to design and construct flood control measures in the vicinity of the Levisa and Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River as necessary to afford communities a level of protection against flooding sufficient to prevent any future losses from a similar event to the April, 1977 flood.
Appropriations required to carry out this work originate from the Supplemental Appropriation to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.
This project will be executed in four phases:
Phase I: Design and construction of county-wide early flood warning system supporting the Johnson County Flood Warning Emergency Evacuation Plan. This phase includes updates to the County’s Floodplain Management Plan and associated emergency action planning documents.
Phase II: Design and construction of approximately 1,390 linear feet of concrete floodwall protecting the Johnson County Judicial Center complex and 200 linear feet of earthen levee protecting the King’s Addition neighborhood of East Paintsville from back water flooding on the Levisa Fork.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District awarded a $10.8 million contract for services supporting the construction of Johnson County Phase II in November, 2022 to Aspen Construction Company from Hackensack, Minnesota.
Phase III: Design and construction of approximately 12,700 linear feet of structural flood risk reduction measures on the North and South banks of Paint Creek vicinity Main Street, Walnut Avenue, and Euclid Avenue.
Phase IV: Execution of voluntary non-structural floodproofing program for eligible structures within the city limits of Paintsville, Kentucky. Eligibility will be determined by the final design of Phase III structural measures. Owners of structures within the city limits of Paintsville that do not receive flood risk reduction benefits from the planned network of levees and floodwalls will have the opportunity to enroll in a voluntary floodproofing program to reduce food risks on an individual property basis.
Residents can expect to see USACE and/or subcontractors in various locations around Paintsville over the next few months as teams continue investigations in support of design and construction. We appreciate everyone’s help and look forward to answering any questions you may have.
Any questions, comments, or concerns about the ongoing project can be sent to: JohnsonCoSect202Project@usace.army.mil.
Contact:
Huntington District Public Affairs
PA2@usace.army.mil
Project Delivery Team
JohnsonCoSect202Project@usace.army.mil