LITTLE ROCK, AR – On Monday, the Arkansas Black Mayors Association (ABMA) announced the engineering teams that will lead community outreach and development of plans for watershed improvements in 14 areas around the state. These public meetings will be conducted in conjunction with the selected engineering teams, with the first meeting being held in the City of Helena-West Helena on Wed., May 31 at 6:00 p.m. in Central High School’s auditorium, 103 School Rd. Subsequent public meetings in June and July will also be announced in the future. Details on upcoming community meetings and these projects overall can be found at www.abmawatershedproject.com.
The development of the Watershed Project Plans is a critical step towards addressing flooding faced by many communities throughout Arkansas. The plans will encompass a total of 14 project areas across Eastern, Southeastern, Southern, and Southwestern Arkansas and will be developed with input from the consultants to ensure their effectiveness.
The project areas, which comprise cities, their surrounding communities, and watersheds are:
1. Hughes and Jennette
a. Blackfish Bayou Watershed
b. Tenmile Bayou – Fifteenmile Bayou Watershed
2. Dumas
a. Cypress Creek – Headwaters Boeuf River Watershed
b. Oak Log Bayou – Cypress Bayou Watershed
c. Canal No. 43 Watershed
d. Amos Bayou Watershed
3. El Dorado
a. Haynes Creek Watershed
b. Salt Creek Watershed
c. Boggy Creek Watershed
d. City of El Dorado – Bayou de Loutre Watershed
e. Dry Creek – Little Cornie Bayou Watershed
f. Holmes Creek Watershed
4. Madison
a. L’Anguille River – St. Francis River Watershed
5. Altheimer
a. Little Bayou Meto Watershed
6. Stamps and Lewisville
a. Lake Erling – Bodcau Creek Watershed
7. Turrell
a. Big Creek Watershed
8. Eudora
a. Grand Lake – Bayou Macon Watershed
b. Caney Bayou Watershed
c. Tiger Bayou Watershed
d. Paps Slough – Bayou Macon Watershed
9. Wilmot
a. Overflow Creek Watershed
b. Camp Bayou Watershed
10. Forrest City, Haynes, and Marianna
a. Larkin Creek – L’Anguille River Watershed
11. Camden
a. Freeo Creek – Ouachita River Watershed
b. North Bayou – Two Bayou Watershed
12. Pine Bluff
a. Bayou Bartholomew Headwaters Watershed
b. Caney Creek – Caney Bayou Watershed
c. Caney Creek – Arkansas River Watershed
d. Plum Bayou – Arkansas River Watershed
e. Cousart Bayou Headwaters – Lake Alice Watershed
f. Imbeau Bayou Watershed
g. Nevins Creek Watershed
h. Upper Deep Bayou Watershed
i. Boggy Bayou – Bayou Bartholomew Watershed
13. Helena-West Helena
a. Long Lake Bayou – Little Bee Bayou Watershed
14. Helena-West Helena, Lake View, and Marvell
a. Lick Creek – Big Creek Watershed
The selected engineering teams for these project areas, pending contract negotiations, are:
· Freese and Nichols, Inc. (cities of Hughes and Jenette, and El Dorado)
· Michael Baker International, Inc. (cities of Dumas, Turrell, and Camden)
· ICONIC Consulting Group, Inc. (cities of Madison, Forrest City, Haynes and Marianna, Helena-West Helena, Lake View, and Marvell for the Lick Creek – Big Creek Watershed)
· KEE Concrete and Construction, Inc. (cities of Altheimer and Helena-West Helena for the Long Lake Bayou – Little Bee Bayou Watershed)
· EJES – FTN Associates JV (cities of Stamps and Lewisville, and Pine Bluff)
· Headway Environmental (cities of Eudora and Wilmot)
Lewisville Mayor and ABMA President Ethan Dunbar said “We are excited to move forward with this important initiative to improve the health of our watersheds, the safety of our communities, and protect the environment for future generations. The selection of qualified engineering and natural resources planning consultants is crucial to this initiative, and the Arkansas Black Mayors Association looks forward to working closely with them to ensure that these plans benefit the communities we serve.”
The consultants will follow the policy set forth in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Title 390, National Watershed Program Manual (NWPM), Part 501 to ensure that the plans are developed in accordance with industry standards.
For more information about these projects, future public meetings, and updates, go to www.abmawatershedproject.com, or follow the ABMA’s Facebook page.
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.
