Red tape holds up coastal anti-flood project

Coastal Glynn County is fighting the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers over a canal that the county wants to clear for storm preparedness.

The historic Brunswick-Altamaha Canal drains an area affecting more than 2-thousand people, but hasn't been maintained in decades. Beavers have built dams in the canal and now the county wants to clear it to protect nearby homes from flooding.

The Corp of Engineers, however, says the canal might have reverted to a "natural state." They're asking the county to prove the canal isn't a federally-protected wetland.

Candice Temple, the county's public information officer, says, "The county is of the position that this is a man-made structure. It was initially constructed between 1826 and 1854 by Irish immigrants. It was finished by slaves. The distinction is important because existing drainage structures are usually exempt from having to receive a permit."

The red tape makes it too late to protect the area from Tropical Storm Fay expected to bring bad weather to Georgia later this week. Flooding from Tropical Storm Tammy flooded the area last year.