JEFFERSONVILLE — Calls made by the town of Clarksville for a watershed study to be done before upgrades are made to two pump stations in the area came to an anticlimactic close Friday.

At the outset of the Jeffersonville-Clarksville Flood Control District meeting, board members reiterated their plans to do a study before work begins on the Cane Run and Mill Creek pump stations.

The Flood Control District agreed to issue bonds for the project to rehabilitate or replace the two pump stations at an amount of up to $7.5 million at an August meeting. During that meeting Clarksville Project Manager Brittany Montgomery said Clarksville was concerned that before a final design on the pump stations was completed, a full watershed study be undertaken.

Clarksville had already commissioned a preliminary study by Stantec for about $50,000, but wanted to see a more in-depth investigation to ensure the pumps would be big enough, or set at the correct levels, to mitigate flooding.

The board agreed at that August meeting to complete the study before final design of the pump station is approved.

Despite the agreement, officials from Clarksville were still concerned the watershed study would not be done.

A letter was sent out to Clarksville residents living in the respective watersheds, dated Sept. 19, that urged the property owners to pressure the flood control district to complete the study before it agreed to move forward with the project.

Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore took umbrage with the letter sent out last week.

“I think it’s a scare tactic,” he said. “The information that was given to residents was false. This board is going forward with looking into doing a watershed study. We agree that needs to be done.”

Following a special work session on flood control, Clarksville Town Councilman Paul Kraft said there was still some concern on the part of the town the watershed study was not going to be completed.

“We weren’t sure the watershed study was going to be done ... and that was a decision made by the town council,” he said of sending out the letter to Clarksville residents. “That’s how it took place. It was a council decision not an individual decision.”

Montgomery said there was still some uncertainty because of questions and comments made during and after the last meeting.

“The general impression we were getting was that there was still significant wavering,” she said.

The study will help to answer questions related to the final design of the pump stations.

Among the questions that need to be answered are how deep to place the pumps that will help mitigate flooding and how big the pumps should be to handle flooding concerns.

Flood Control Superintendent Michael Lanham said flooding in April 2011 is what prompted the flood control district to take another look at the project, one that has been discussed since the 1960s.

He added that the pump stations were not overwhelmed during the historic rains that flooded the region in Aug. 2009 because the Ohio River’s water level never reached a point that was high enough for the pumps to kick on.

But because there has been flooding in Clarksville and Jeffersonville it means other issues, like the municipalities’ drainage plans, will need to be examined.

“If the water’s not getting to the pump station, it doesn’t matter how big or how deep [the pump] is,” said Flood Control Commissioner Dale Popp.

Jeffersonville City Engineer Andy Crouch said ultimately the flood control district will need to determine what their goal is in protecting the area against flooding.

Four presentations were made to the flood control district Friday by companies looking to complete the study. American Structure Point, Strand Associates, Stantec and Burke Engineering offered services to complete the work. The full study is expected to cost between $100,000 and $150,000 Montgomery said at the August meeting.

Estimates placed the study’s completion date, and subsequent final design plans, put the project on track for a June completion date. That would allow for the construction to be completed by spring 2014.

The bond for the pump stations is expected to be issued next year.

Even when a plan is determined, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to grant its approval on the pump stations’ final design.

“The Corps is going to have the final say on this,” Lanham said.

The proposals presented Friday were tabled, taken under advisement and are expected to be brought back at the next meeting for approval.