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Parish urged to stay engaged as Corps study and federal funds move forward for $6B levee program and Lake Pontchartrain barrier study

St. Tammany Parish Infrastructure Committee · March 25, 2026

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Summary

Mark Wingate and parish staff briefed the committee on two large flood-risk efforts: a Corps-led levee and elevation program authorized by WRDA and an early-stage Lake Pontchartrain barrier feasibility study; Wingate said initial cost-share funds are moving to the Corps and warned parish involvement is critical to shape project outcomes and timetables.

Mark Wingate, a former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commander now working with a private engineering firm, presented a federal flood-risk update the committee described as essential. Wingate said a Corps-led program that combines levees, flood walls, pump stations and structure elevations could total roughly $6 billion when completed: he described an approximately $3 billion levee/structural system plus additional investments to elevate an estimated 6,000 structures.

Wingate said Congress moved quickly to authorize construction in late 2024 via the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), but that authorization is not the same as construction funding. He reported that initial cost-share funds were expected to move to the Corps within 30–60 days to begin design, and he urged the parish to maintain a strong role in right-of-way discussions and public engagement so local interests shape priorities.

He also described renewed federal action on a Lake Pontchartrain barrier concept — a project studied decades ago — and said a new Corps feasibility effort and state partnership could take roughly three to five years to determine federal investment interest. Wingate urged parish staff to press for early nonstructural measures that could be designed and built more quickly while the larger structural designs move through the Corps’ process; he projected a possible 2½–5 year timeline to begin construction on parts of the levee program assuming seamless federal and state funding.

Committee members thanked Wingate and parish staff for the briefing and emphasized the importance of collaboration with the parish’s congressional delegation and the state; the committee noted the regional benefits and the need to continue building momentum.