Remedy for Sulphur River logs jammed

By LYNN MONTGOMERY | East Texas Edition

September 26, 2002 -- The Sulphur River log jam, along Highway 37, will not be going away any time in the near future, according to the Sulphur River Basin Authority (SRBA).

At the Sept. 17 meeting in Mount Pleasant, the SRBA informed the audience a decision had not been made about the log jam.

"We are still waiting for a proposal from the (U. S. Army) Corp of Engineers," said Mike Burke, SRBA administrator.

Burke said the Corp was wanting to do a $3 million study which would not only study the log jam but how the log jam affects the whole basin.

"The corp would pay one-half of the $3 million price tag. The Texas Water Development Board would pay half of what's left over. The remainder ($750,000) would be left for a local sponsor, according to the Corp, to come up with," Burke said.

In other news at the Sept. 17 meeting, the board approved a new contract with Texarkana College. Dr. Mike Buttram, with help from chemistry students, perform monitoring and data collections in the basin.

The next SRBA meeting is set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Titus County Civic Center in Mount Pleasant.