FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear, alongside eastern Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers, announced $2.5 million in funding on Wednesday to study flood mitigation strategies for the Kentucky River in Beattyville and portions of Lee County.

The Kentucky River saw severe flooding during the deadly flood outbreak in late July 2022.

Half of the funds will come in federal dollars from an earmark project Rogers secured for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the other half will come in state funds from Kentucky’s Flood Control Local Match Participation Program.

“In 2021, Beattyville, Lee County and surrounding counties were hit with flooding on a historic level,” Beshear said in a press release. “In July of this year, we saw the worst flooding event of our lifetimes in Eastern Kentucky. We are committed to building back stronger than before, and this study is one step in helping us find ways we can make our communities safer from, and better prepared for, flooding events.”

Rogers, who is Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, has requested a second federal earmark for $800,000 to be used for the study in fiscal year 2023, which could pass by the end of this year, Beshear said.

“Our region has suffered tremendous loss due to flooding year after year. Along the Cumberland River, we’ve had great success in protecting our communities with the help of the Army Corps, and I’m hopeful that we can do the same in the Kentucky River valley,” Rogers said in a statement.

Rogers also urged patience with the flood control project, as they can end up taking a lot of time to complete.

The study will examine both structural (levee, floodwall, etc.) and nonstructural (facility relocation, elevation of structures, etc.) flood mitigation strategies in Beattyville and parts of Lee County.