NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors approved the county’s participation in an emergency watershed project to save a road in the Elgin area Wednesday.

The hill on one side of Sterling Road has washed out, and after the most recent rain, the washout has crept under the road structure, County Road Manager Robbie Dollar said.

The washout is at an area with a 60-foot drop, Supervisor Mike Lazarus said.

County Engineer Jim Marlow said the county applied for an EWP after the last rain, but the state of the situation Wednesday was so dire it could qualify for a faster-tracked Natural Resources Conservation Service repair.

The NRCS estimate for the project was $160,000, which would require a 25 percent match — $40,000 — from the county, Marlow said.

“I am afraid that if we go with the regular EWP process, we would lose the whole road,” Lazarus said.

The board voted to move forward with the fast-track option and gave Marlow the authority to seek the necessary easements from property owners in the area.

Seeking the NRCS funds only makes sense to save the road, board president Darryl Grennell said.

“If we don’t get the money from the federal government, we would have to foot the bill anyway,” he said.