Hinds County secures funding for White Oak Creek erosion that has plagued N. Jackson residents for years

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Help is on the way for residents who live along White Oak Creek.

Hinds County leaders say they now have millions of dollars in funding to address erosion issues in the area. Some residents along Carolwood Drive, like Larry Stacy, say they’ve lost multiple feet of their backyard.

Stacy estimates the creek has taken about 10 feet of his backyard and has pulled concrete about six inches away from his house.

Another homeowner sent us a picture of when erosion wiped out an entire gazebo that used to be in their backyard.

A third resident showed WLBT the only three posts that remain of what used to be an entire fence in the back of his property.

As for Stacy, he said these issues first started happening at his home nearly two decades ago, yet nothing has been done to address it.

“I understand there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, but I’ll believe it when I see it at this point,” he said.

That light at the end of the tunnel is coming in the form of $6,000,000.

Two million is from the state, and four million is from the federal government.

Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham hopes the county can put that money to use in about four to five months.

“We’re in the second phase of a five-stage process,” Graham said. “The first stage is initiation, and so we’re basically down to the planning stage at this point.”

As for why it took so long to get money for the project, Graham said, “There are so many things and so many steps that you have to go through and so many environmental issues that you have to look at. It just takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight.”

Graham hopes the six million dollars will be enough to complete the entire project.

If not, he says the county will have to go back to trying to secure more funding.

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