Planning is moving ahead smoothly for an innovative flood mitigation project, which officials said will help protect people and property throughout Rowan County.
FEMA recently awarded the City of Morehead with a Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant to aid the planning and development of overflow basins known as green sinks. City officials said the funding comes after the State Army Corps of Engineers recognized Rowan County, along with much of eastern Kentucky, as at-risk for flooding.
Rodney Fouch, City Planner for Morehead, said the green sink term was coined by state engineers, referring to pond-like structures left intentionally dry.
“There’s kind of a buffer zone that the water can spill into instead of immediately going into the streets and streams. And you know, of course, if we keep getting more rain, of course even that gets full, and in a big flood we’re still going to get flooding,” said Fouch. “But the idea is it helps a lot of the floods that don’t have to be such a big deal.”
While specific locations for these basins have not yet been established, Fouch said the project anticipates creating as many green sinks within the city as possible.
“At first, it would definitely start in the city, and I think that that’s going to spread. I hope that will spread. Anything we do upstream is going to help the people downstream. We do something in the city, it’s going to help the people and farmers,” said Fouch.
The Army Corps of Engineers began a study in 2017 to determine the effectiveness of green sinks, and Fouch said their findings have so far aligned with the county’s. With their help, Fouch added the planning and engineering phases will hopefully be fully funded, only leaving efforts to fund the physical excavations.
City and county residents won’t see the project physically underway until years of planning and engineering work are complete.