THE NORTHSIDE Sun is seeking more information on a project that some say could ultimately kill an ambitious flood control and economic development plan for the capital city.

The paper filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) last week to learn more details on a plan to build a wetlands mitigation bank between Lakeland Drive and the Ross Barnett Reservoir along the Pearl River.

MDOT has 14 business days to comply with the written request. Officials with the transportation department say they’re considering purchasing between 2,600 and 2,700 acres on the Rankin County side of the river on private land located in the footprint of the Two Lakes project.

Much of the land the state agency hopes to use for wetlands is owned by Sustainable Forests. According to information provided by the Rankin County Tax Assessor’s office, the group, with a post office box in Morton, Miss., owns approximately 2,154 acres.

Claiborne Barnwell, director of MDOT’s environmental division, said the acreage would be used to build new wetlands to replace those destroyed by highway projects in the area. The land could never be permanently inundated by water and could prevent Two Lakes from ever being built.

THE TWO LAKES plan is a $290 million flood control and economic development proposal that includes building two large lakes along the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties. It would mean millions if not billions of dollars in new revenue for Jackson and the surrounding cities like Flowood.

In a previous interview, North Jackson businessman John McGowan said the project would create more than 100 miles of developable waterfront property in the two counties. It would open up roughly 7,000 acres and create between 27 and 36 small islands for residential or commercial development.

McGowan said he’s not worried about the mitigation bank and plans to move forward on getting his project under way. “They can simply move it elsewhere,” he said.

He was scheduled to offer more details on his project last week, but the Pearl River Levee Board postponed his presentation until april 30 AT 8 .AM.

At that time, engineers will also provide financial information on the lower lake plan.

Barnwell said the mitigation bank is in the preliminary stages and said MDOT is still negotiating with landowners on issues like mineral rights - an issue that could make or break the transaction. He declined to say how much the project would cost or provide a map of the proposed location.

Several state and federal agencies, like the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, have to approve the project. The three-member Mississippi Transportation Commission also has to sign off on it before any money is spent.

CENTRAL DISTRICT Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, one of three members of the commission, said he wouldn’t support a plan that would prohibit flood control and economic development on the river. He also won’t support buying the land if the state can’t own the mineral rights to it.

“It wouldn’t be a proper use of public money,” Hall said. “We have people working on getting that answered.” He said there’s no specific timeframe for making the purchase. While some say the bank would sink Two Lakes, MDOT Executive Director Larry “Butch” Brown disagrees.

“It won’t prohibit the Two Lakes from going in,” he said. “We’re not far enough along to say we’re going to do this for certain. We’re simply looking at the property. The issue is a non-issue.”

MDOT manages about 12,000 acres of mitigation banks across the state and uses the land to create new wetlands in drainage basins where wetlands were filled in for road projects. He said the corps regulates the environmental filters and requires the agency to replace the ones that make way for development.