CHARLESTON, SC (WCBD) – City of Charleston leaders are moving forward with the next phase of the levee project to protect the peninsula from rising sea levels, tidal flooding and surges. storm.

Leaders said Tuesday that the Army Corps of Engineers’ roughly $4 million study of storm surge risk on the Charleston Peninsula was nearing completion.

Following an independent review, the city’s 3 X 3 Advisory Committee has recommended that the Charleston City Council approve the move to the next phase of the corps project for the barrier wall, which is called “pre-construction, engineering and design”. The committee voted to continue its monitoring.

The city and community members reviewed two drafts over the past year that included ideas for the wall expressed through hundreds of comments and evaluated by the Corps.

“Some were integrated into the second study project, in particular a modification of the layout of the protective wall; others will be considered if the project is approved and moves to its next phase,” the city said. “At the same time, a long-needed comprehensive citywide water management plan for all of Charleston will soon be underway, funded for 2022.”

Leaders say the planning tool will help the corps project and create a city-wide master plan of where and how flood risk from all sources will be managed in the face of a threat of flooding. sea ​​level rise, tidal flooding and “rain bombs”.

Now, a wide range of drainage, land use and water management projects across the city will be on the table.

The Corps is actively reviewing the study at its district and national levels.

“While some changes may be made, approval by May is expected, in part because it has the best cost-benefit ratio in the country,” city leaders said.

The city went on to say, “After Corps leadership approval, and after Congress authorizes and appropriates funding for the next phase of the project, the city and the crops must negotiate a ‘design agreement’ before so that the project can continue.”

City leaders say the agreement will include guidance on important issues such as nature-based features and the preservation of historic assets, scenic spots and cultural features, as well as the route of the wall.

If the deal is negotiated by the end of 2022 and the board agrees to move forward, then Congress will need to approve the allocation of funds. Then the next phase would probably start next March.