The Amite River Basin Commission (ARBC) met for their regular meeting the morning of July 14th and heard several updates on projects as well as a few set-backs some projects are facing currently.
The ARBC’s Chief Advisor Paul Sawyer began by giving the commission a comprehensive report on the progress made on several projects.
Firstly, the ARBC will officially receive 4 million dollars in priority one capital outlay funds and 63 million dollars in priority five capital outlay funds for their budget allocation. ARBC will also receive approximately $50,000 in reimbursements from the purchase of their newest property in Saint Helena.
A recent meeting with Secretary Glenn Ledet apparently led to the commission receiving the request to be “much more aggressive in [the] statewide flood control program.”
“[Secretary Ledet] believes that ARBC, by virtue of our master plan, is positioned to compete for more money,” Sawyer explained. “So we will begin looking at developing proposals for [the council’s] consideration for statewide flood control funding.”
Following this, Sawyer explained that the Comite River Diversion Canal (CRDC) is just “one project of an incomplete system” and that “the vast majority of the project work that needs to be done in the Amite River Basin is to the East of the CRDC.” Sawyer continued, stating that as the “largest flood control project in the capital region… it is significant, but we have to contextualize that it’s one piece of an incomplete system and it’s imperative that we work on the rest of the system.”
Sawyer went on to note future hopes to return items considered “nonstructural work” back to the commission’s consideration. These items will include the parts of project work and construction proposals that do not require actual construction but still contribute towards flood risk reduction.
Sawyer then discussed his upcoming plans to meet with the Office of Community Development (OCD) to discuss the multitude of Louisiana Watershed Initiative Projects that are “stuck,” as in they will not be in construction by January 2027, and are therefore considered “effectively dead” resulting in the OCD reconsidering the viability and funding of said projects.
Additionally, the East Baton Rouge Flood Control Project, otherwise known as the 5 Bayous Project, has been “hitting some snags” according to Sawyer. While this project is not in the ARBC’s purview, it is a quarter billion dollar flood control project that was “specifically authorized by Congress” and, as such, requires immediate attention when not operating at the speed it can.
Sawyer explained that the budget originally established for the 5 Bayous Project “was insufficient” considering it originally began as a simple project to simply overhaul the plumbing of East Baton Rouge Parish by widening, deepening, and armouring channels. However, with the additional development of the surrounding neighborhoods and properties after the project’s conception, the project plans became obsolete and had to be completely redesigned. Following this, there were complications with other parts of the actual construction as well as years-long survey setbacks leading to “the original designs on those aspects of the project [becoming] very, very difficult” to complete with such a limited budget.
“It’s not like Comite where Comite has been underfunded several times but it’s been so… far along constructed that it was impossible to just let it sit so Congress would go back and continue to fund it.” Sawyer told the commission. “This project is not that far advanced where it’s reached a point of no return. It is vulnerable in [that] sense.”
With the threat of Congress potentially taking away the project’s funding if these issues are not resolved, commissioners added that it “would be a shame” to, as Sawyer stated, “turn away 255 million dollars worth of flood control, flood risk reduction in the Amite River Basin… especially on the 10th anniversary of the 2016 flood.”
As for the update on the CRDC, Sawyer described the construction progress on the Comite River Diversion Structure as “remarkable” and “very, very fast.”
“The [Corps of Engineers] and DOTD are expressing a high degree of confidence that this project could be completed by 2028, possibly sooner at the end of the year.” Sawyer continued.
Commissioner Clint Cointment expressed his hope to have the entire commission take a field trip down to the CRDC site to see the progress that has been made there once the weather cools down considerably.
Nearby, the Highway 19 bridge going southbound is set to be completed in the near future and traffic will be diverted there once it is completed so that work can begin on the northbound bridge to the very western end of it at the Brooks Lake closure.
After Sawyer's updates, the commission considered a proposal for professional services to help with the Upper Amite River Basin Restoration Project, including help managing the ARBC’s newly acquired land as well as additional coordination on future uses for said land.
Requests were sent to every contractor that attended an ARBC meeting between 2025-2026. Four proposals were sent back, with one being disqualified due to technical reasons, with the firm Residence having received the highest score from the project committee. The firm was unanimously approved by the commission and the meeting was adjourned afterwards.
