‘One Lake’ project and oysters

The manager of one of the Gulf Coast’s largest oyster processors is wary of the proposed ‘One Lake’ flood-control project on the Pearl River near Jackson, Miss. “I have a lot of concerns about the project,” Jennifer Jenkins, whose family has owned Crystal Seas Seafood in Pass Christian, Miss., since 1966. Some 50 people listened to 30-minute presentation by engineers and lawyers Aug. 2 at the Infinity Science Center not from the Pearl River. It was given by lawyers and engineers for the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District. “I still have a lot of concerns that it’s going to affect the oyster and seafood industry and parts of the lower Pearl River,” Jenkins told the Sun Herald. The likely-$350M project would use a low-head dam below Interstate 20 near Jackson to create a 1,500-acre lake. Its proponents claim it would reduce flooding in Jackson and surrounding counties. But others, like Jenkins, fear the project will restrict the flow of water that would normally make its way into the lower Pearl River Basin, which would harm river habitats, impact the salinity of the Mississippi Sound and threaten endangered animal species and the oyster industry. (Source: NOLA.com 08/06/18)