COUNTY SEEKS HUBBLE CREEK FUNDING

JACKSON -- The Cape Girardeau County Commission wants to tap into state funding for stormwater improvements along Hubble Creek.

Under a new state program, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources plans to provide $200 million in grants and loans over 10 years to first-class counties and cities over 25,000 in population.

The funding amounts to $20 million a year, half in loans and the other half in grants.

Cape Girardeau County could receive $79,000 a year or nearly $800,000 over 10 years in grants for stormwater projects.

The city of Cape Girardeau could receive $101,000 a year or more than $1 million in state grant money.

The city and county also would qualify for another $2 million in low-interest loans over the decade.

The state's Clean Water Commission will distribute the money, according to population.

Applications must be submitted to the state by January. The first round of funding won't be awarded to cities and counties until March, DNR officials said.

Dave Owen is district conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service in Jackson.

His agency provides technical assistance to the Cape Girardeau County Soil and Water Conservation District, which is pushing for improvements to Hubble Creek.

Owen and Art Bodenstein, who chairs the Hubble Creek stormwater committee, met Monday with the county commission.

The committee has proposed spending $4.1 million to address the drainage problems.

The solutions include everything from imposing stormwater management regulations in the county and the city of Jackson to various channel improvements on the southern end of the creek.

Hubble Creek runs from the Fruitland area south to the Diversion Channel.

Owen said the area along Hubble Creek is plagued by several stormwater problems.

Along the southern end, the channel has eroded, becoming deeper and wider.

It is threatening to undermine a bridge along County Road 228 just south of Gordonville, said county Commissioner Larry Bock.

The eroding channel is a major concern to the commission, Bock said.