Allison BarnetteThe Upper Bear Creek Watershed Project in Madison County has received clearance to move forward with $26 million in federal funding for flood mitigation.
On May 5, Madison County Board Attorney Mike Espy announced that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) had lifted a short-term funding freeze, allowing the county to resume work on the awaited initiative.
The Bear Creek watershed impacts thousands of residents, particularly in the city of Canton, which has seen repeated flooding in recent years. A storm in August 2022 dropped more than 8 inches of rain in a single day, trapping residents in homes and businesses and prompting emergency rescues and road closures.
Flooding in Canton disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities, raising not only economic concerns but also public health, safety and environmental risks. The watershed project is expected to remove hundreds of homes from the floodplain and improve the area’s resilience to future storms.
A Madison County delegation recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the project with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and members of Congress.
The project will include environmental assessment, engineering design and construction, with an estimated timeline of three to five years.
