Federal Funding Secured for Floodwall

City Engineer-Public Works Director Rick Murphy announced a big win at Tuesday's City Commission meeting.

Murphy said that he received an email Tuesday afternoon that Paducah’s $19.5 million floodwall project met requirements for federal financial participation. Murphy said the news is a major breakthrough.
 
Murphy said that the city needs federal authorization for the project, which is a cost-share item. The federal government would contribute $12.7 million, or 65 percent, of the project while the city pays the balance. The next step would be securing appropriations from Congress, Murphy said.
 
Murphy said repairs to pump plants along the wall and underground piping need to be made soon.
 
Paducah’s floodwall comprises 9.2 miles of earthen levee and three miles of concrete, including 12 pump plants that help protect the city from internal flooding by pumping out rain water. In a feasibility study, the corps estimated the wall protects more than $1.2 billion in assets. It covers 8.7 square miles in McCracken County and 7 square miles inside city limits.
 
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city will soon start the design phase, which could take up to two years. Paducah currently has a $2.1 million credit toward the construction from a 2010 project that slip-lined 37 rusted underground pipes.