Washington provided money to study Panther Island but consultant says it’s not needed
Panther Island, the $1.17 billion Trinity River project north of downtown Fort Worth, likely won’t receive a feasibility study the federal government marked $1.5 million for earlier this year.
The Army Corps of Engineers headquarters included the $1.5 million in its 2020 budget in February to study Panther Island, officially called the Central City Flood Control Project. Local officials were confused about the allocation then, saying they had not received direction from Washington about what kind of study was needed. Another $1.5 million would also be needed from the Tarrant Regional Water District to pay for the $3 million study, and the water district has maintained such a study unnecessary.
Mark Mazzanti, a former Army Corps of Engineers official who is coordinating the local effort for Panther Island, told the Trinity River Vision Authority board Wednesday that he recommended ignoring the allocation. If local funding isn’t found to match the $1.5 million by September 30, the federal money may be reallocated.
Mazzanti was responding to a line of questioning from James Hill, a Tarrant Regional Water District board member, Fort Worth Councilman Carlos Flores and Bob Riley, the Streams and Valleys representative, about whether the project would receive federal dollars.
The Trump administration has been unwilling to prioritize Panther Island without a cost-benefit analysis, but local officials have said a study of the project’s economic viability is not needed. They argue Congress OK’d the project in 2016 without calling for a study.
Hill asked if the project officials should request, in writing, a clarification from federal partners about whether this position is correct.
“At this point I would recommend we not get that,” Mazzanti responded.
“What is the objective of that feasibility study?” he continued, wondering out loud if the study was meant to re-imagine the project or find deficiencies in it. The study could take years and delay the project, he said, adding that federal and local partners already have an agreement laying out responsibilities to complete the project.
Mazzanti said there has been no communication from the Corps about what kind of study the money should be used for or what it’s goal would be. A local Corps representative acknowledged a Star-Telegram email requesting clarification, but said he may not be able to respond Wednesday afternoon.
The estimated $1.17 billion project would create an 800-acre island and prime riverfront real estate near the heart of downtown. The Corps would cut a 1.5 mile channel between the two forks of the Trinity River as means to control downstream flooding. Though the Corps, in partnership with the Tarrant Regional Water District, requested $38 million for the project this year, Mazzanti has said just $10 million for design work would be enough to keep the project on track.
Confusion about whether some kind of study is needed has dogged the project for more than a year.
Though the project has existed since 2006, it has received only $62 million from Washington. Congress approved up to $526 million in 2016. Local taxpayers have spent more than $320 million on the project.
Typically Corps projects like Panther Island require an analysis that explores the economic benefits of a flood protection project compared with its expected costs. Generally these studies, which can last up to three years, identify a flood problem, explore how to fix it and note the alternatives. The study would also look at environmental impacts.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 4:26 PM.
