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Parish president previews $137 million multi-year flood plan, orders study of upper Barataria diversion
Summary
The St. Charles Parish president outlined a $137 million multi-year capital plan focused on flood protection and pump-station work, announced a two-year study of an upper Barataria basin Mississippi River diversion and listed project budgets and near-term community events.
Parish President said the parish’s capital plan contains roughly $137 million in projects spread across fiscal years 2027–2029, highlighting major flood-protection investments and steps toward a river diversion study.
The parish leader said the most substantial items in the plan include the Quipper project (about $60 million), a Rock project (about $24 million), and a proposed Des Allemands floodgate ($91.5 million). Other listed items include the Des Allemands boat launch ($1.8 million), Cousins pump station ($16.8 million), Lake Salvador shoreline engineering and design ($4 million), Crawford Canal pump station ($6 million), Sunset Funnel protection ($5.5 million), and several pump-station upgrades totaling roughly $11.6 million. “We have $137 million uh in there,” the parish president said, noting those dollars are not all in FY27 but spread across FY27, FY28 and FY29.
Why it matters: The package targets coastal and basin projects the parish says are designed to reduce saltwater intrusion and protect communities and infrastructure. The president described the investments as a “testament to the work” the parish is doing and said securing construction funds remains a priority.
Upper Barataria diversion study: The president said the parish will begin a two-year study this year of an “upper Barataria basin hydraulic restoration/Mississippi River diversion” (a diversion earlier proposed near the Davis site), intended to determine location, outfall, and size. The parish hopes to pursue state and congressional appropriations around fiscal 2029 if the study supports an authorization.
Infrastructure updates and ribbon cutting: Construction on Months One and Two pump stations continues, with foundations, rebar, forms and 90-foot frontal sheet piles installed to stabilize levee loads. The president announced a ribbon cutting at the Sunset Pump Station on March 16 at 10 a.m., crediting recent work that removed roughly 70,000 cubic yards of dirt to widen the canal and the installation of bar-screen cleaners to reduce hazardous manual clearing.
Community notices: The president also shared several community items including Trash Bash 2026 on Saturday, April 18 (registration opens Monday, March 9), Parks & Recreation events and the Swamp School summer-camp schedule (registration opens at 12:00 a.m. on March 7; weeklong camp costs $200 per child), and a reduced Veterans Memorial Plaza commemorative-brick price of $50 for the America 250 observance.
The president closed by noting January sales-tax receipts rose 14.5% year-over-year, an increase of $578,552, which they described as “a great start to the new year.”
