Amite River Basin Commission backs resolution supporting extension of Scenic Rivers Act exemption for Bayou Manchac

The Amite River Basin Commission considered a resolution, read in the meeting as “11 85,” expressing the commission’s support for House Bill 172 by state Rep. Kathy Edmonston. The bill would extend an existing exemption under the Louisiana Scenic Rivers Act to Bayou Manchac and to the Comite River Diversion Canal and would move the exemption’s expiration from 2026 to 2030.

The commission’s staff told members the Scenic Rivers Act restricts work that would be considered flood fighting or flood reduction in waterways listed under the law. Staff said an earlier exemption, secured when Valarie Hodges served in the legislature, allowed flood-risk projects in Bayou Manchac but is scheduled to expire in 2026. The proposed change in HB172 would extend that exemption to 2030, which staff said aligns with the time frame for spending funds from the Louisiana Watershed Initiative.

Staff described the Scenic Rivers Act as intended to keep certain waterways in “pristine condition,” and said without the exemption, routine flood-reduction work in Bayou Manchac and the Comite River Diversion Canal could be heavily restricted. The resolution before the commission was described in the meeting as an expression of support for Rep. Edmonston’s legislation; the transcript records a staff member moving the measure but does not record a final vote in the excerpt provided.

If HB172 becomes law, staff said, the longer exemption period would permit continued capital and flood-risk work on Bayou Manchac during the Louisiana Watershed Initiative spending window. The commission did not announce a recorded vote on the resolution in the provided transcript excerpt.

The commission’s action was limited to expressing support; the measure’s effect depends on action by the state legislature and the governor.