The city of Kinston says a document they've discovered sheds some light on repeated major flooding the city has endured over the past few decades.

A fifty-two year old Army Corps of Engineers Study on the Neuse River Basin was released by the City after a physical search of the Library of Congress.

The search unearthed documents that called for the construction of the Falls Lake Dam in Wake County, which was completed in 1981, but also called for the inclusion of 12 other reservoirs throughout the area. The most prominent being the Wilson Mills project in Johnston County, which would've helped towns like Smithfield, Goldsboro, and Kinston deal with flooding over the last five decades. The discovery of these documents has now resulted in a push from local leaders who are demanding action.

Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy says "The Neuse River is very large. The basin is very large and not only does a study need to happen, but the money needs to be set aside to actually implement change and maybe this study can be the basis for that."

Another study of the river basin will need to be approved and conducted by Congress before any actions can be taken along the Neuse River, but Mayor Murphy is hoping that the uncovering of these decades old documents will help push policy makers to action.