A much-needed breakwater has been built at the popular Madison Landing on Barnett Reservoir in Ridgeland that will make launching boats easier.
The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, the state agency that oversees and manages Barnett Reservoir just north of Jackson, used a federal Sportfish Restoration Fund grant arranged through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to build the two-part breakwater. It was completed June 29 and proved its value the very next day.
“We had a pop-up storm somewhere near the lake that caused some hard east winds, including gusts near 30 miles per hour at our Independence Celebration,” said Craig Hunt, the parks and recreation director for PRVWSD. “The lake was white-capping with the waves coming from the direction that has always created problems at the landing.
“Outside the wall, 2- and 3-foot waves were hitting the breakwater, but inside the barrier, the surface was as slick as a mirror. The breakwater was doing its job.”
The project also replaced worn concrete courtesy piers with new floating aluminum and ADA-compliant piers.
PRVWSD is nearing completion in the engineering and design phase of a new landing being built on the upper end of the main lake along the south side of Mississippi Highway 43. The agency is hoping construction will begin later this year.
