BATON ROUGE — The Amite River Basin Commission (ARBC) reported a year of what officials called “flood protection firsts” during its Nov. 17 meeting, outlining new federal and state investments, project milestones, and ongoing watershed initiatives across the seven-parish region.
ARBC President John Clark said 2025 marked meaningful progress for long-term flood protection.
“2025 represents a year of flood protection ‘firsts,’” Clark said. “The ARBC’s final report of the year looks back on a 2025 calendar that included new investments from state and federal sources, new partnerships with regional and federal stakeholders, [and] an unprecedented master plan that charts a course for flood protection throughout the seven-parish Amite River Basin.”
Executive Director Paul Sawyer detailed several of those milestones, including:
• Congress’ approval of the first-ever congressionally directed funding for ARBC — $2 million secured by U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow for Upper Amite River restoration aimed at reducing flood risk.
• Adoption of a first-of-its-kind comprehensive master plan on May 13, which is projected to reduce average annual flood losses by 52% once fully implemented.
• More than $150 million in flood protection projects now in development across Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston, and St. James parishes. The Commission voted Monday to reaffirm its project cooperation agreements with these parishes.
• Ongoing property acquisition in the Upper Amite for restoration work supported by a $67 million state allocation. Commission officials noted the state work complements the federal funding obtained by Letlow.
The Commission also reviewed the status of Louisiana Watershed Initiative Region 9 projects, which total $363 million. More than $28 million has already been spent in Region 9 — the Amite River Basin — as part of the statewide $1.2 billion flood mitigation program managed by the Office of Community Development. Project details are available at watershed.la.gov/projects-dashboard.
In addition, commissioners commended state Sens. Valarie Hodges, Rick Edmonds, and Regina Barrow, and Reps. Tony Bacala and Emily Chenevert for touring the Lower Amite River Basin on Nov. 6 to better understand local flood issues. The Commission said their engagement reflects ongoing support for improving flood protection throughout the region.
ARBC’s mission includes mitigating flood damage, coordinating river management, promoting responsible watershed planning, and conserving natural resources throughout the Amite River Basin, which spans Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena, and St. James parishes. More information is available at amitebasin.org.
