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Saint James Parish updates ARBC on West Shore connector levee: permit deadline, funding mix and pump station plan
Summary
Saint James Parish told the Amite River Basin Commission that its connector levee permit is pending and that a Corps inclusion by December 2025 would allow local expenditures to count toward the federal local-cost requirement and improve construction prospects.
Saint James Parish officials and engineering consultants updated the Amite River Basin Commission on the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain connector levee and related M-2 East pump station, describing permitting milestones, a mixed funding strategy and a multi-stage schedule for design and construction.
Kevin O’Gorman of Intercoastal Consultants said the parish submitted a permit application for the connector levee and that Corps staff told the parish that “if we get our permit by December 2025, they will include it in their selected plan going forward.” That inclusion, O’Gorman said, would allow money already spent locally to count toward the Corps’ local-cost requirement and improve the parish’s ability to have additional features built under the Corps’ selected plan.
Why it matters: The connector is intended to join two ring levees to provide combined surge and river-flood risk reduction for Saint James, a low-lying area between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Consultants said the West Shore effort has been authorized in part at the federal level and that additional state and disaster-recovery funding after Hurricane Ida expanded available resources.
Funding and schedule: Consultants said the broader West Shore authorization totals about $760 million. Saint James secured state capital outlay funding and used local bond proceeds for matching requirements. The parish reported contributions from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) that funded geotechnical investigations and the Pontchartrain Levee District (PLD) that provided planning funds. The second phase — the M-2 East pump station and drainage structure — includes a proposed $10 million contribution from the LWI allocation to Region 9 (applied through the Amite River Basin Commission), $5 million from CPRA and $1.7 million from PLD, according to the parish presentation.
Parish staff said geotechnical investigations and hydraulics analyses were completed to meet Corps requirements and that the parish had received a mitigation intent letter and was advancing land acquisition and design. O’Gorman said the parish expected to complete design by mid next year and to advertise bids with construction beginning in 2027, acknowledging the pump station schedule will trail the levee construction by several months.
Grant-management advice: Saint James and its grants administrator Blake Russo urged other applicants to “check all the boxes” and keep complete documentation. Russo said grants management can be a paperwork-intensive process and emphasized responsiveness. “If one of the state and federal partners want paper, give it to them,” Russo said. Another presenter added practical advice: “Paper’s cheap. Don’t be the person that's gonna be holding up a project for one piece of paper.”
The commission received the presentation and thanked Saint James Parish staff and Intercoastal Consultants; there was no vote on the project at this meeting. Parish officials said additional funding remains necessary to complete the full scope and urged continued cooperation among stakeholders and funders.
Ending: Parish officials asked local partners to maintain momentum to secure remaining funding and finalize permits; staff will continue coordination with the Corps, CPRA, PLD and the Office of Community Development as designs progress.
