Police Jury Awards Almost $3 million in Grants for Parish Road and Drainage Projects

At its Thursday, Oct. 19 meeting, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury awarded almost $3 million in grants for various parish road and drainage improvement projects from the 2023 Road and Drainage Trust Fund Program. These projects are part of the Police Jury's Strategic Planning Priority to focus on long-term infrastructure needs and implement projects and initiatives that leverage partnerships and funding sources at all levels.

The grants include:

• Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1 (West Calcasieu): $500,000 for Buxton Creek Paved Lateral Improvements
• Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 2 (East Calcasieu): $500,000 for Moss Gully Drainage Improvements, Phase I
• City Of Lake Charles: $1,166,400 for Legendre Street Drainage Improvements, Phase III
• City of Sulphur: $170,800 for Maplewood Drive Bridge Improvements at Maple Fork Bayou
• City of Westlake: $229,600 for John Stine Road at Sampson Street/Westwood Road/LA 378 Intersection Improvements
• Town of Vinton: $431,200 for Grace Avenue and Stevenson Street Drainage Improvements.

Please note that the City of DeQuincy and the Town of Iowa have chosen to apply their allocations to future projects.

Living with Water In Calcasieu Parish: A Storyboard and Guide to Watershed Management and Mitigation Strategies 

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Police Jury's Parishwide Drainage Committee Receives Update on the Regional Watershed Planning and Strategic Analysis Initiative

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's Parishwide Drainage Committee heard an update on the Regional Watershed Planning and Strategic Analysis Initiative.

Jeanne Hornsby of Fenstermaker and Associates gave the committee an update on key watershed considerations and future project selection, policies and program development. 

She also advised that the Parishwide Watershed Management Plan is in its final phase of development. The final plan will be presented to the Police Jury in June.

To view the report, click HERE.
To watch the Feb. 2, 2023 Parishwide Drainage Committee Meeting, click below.

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Louisiana Avenue Regional Detention
Basin Project

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, along with other parish and city officials, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Louisiana Avenue Regional Detention Basin Project on Tuesday, Oct. 4.

 Set on 18 acres of property on Louisiana Avenue along Contraband Bayou, the basin will be 935-feet wide, 885-feet long and 13-feet deep. Once completed, it will have the capacity to hold up to 60 million gallons of water – that’s the equivalent of 7-1/2 football fields with one-foot of water covering each.

The detention basin will retain excess water from Contraband Bayou. When the bayou reaches a certain high point during heavy rains, the basin will detain that water until the event has passed and the bayou has receded. The basin will then slowly expel water back into Contraband Bayou until it levels back to 3-feet of water – its permanent pool level.

"It's kind of like a parking garage for the water," said Allen Wainwright, Director of the Division of Engineering and Public Works. 

The site will also be accessible to the public and have landscaping, lighting, benches, trash cans, and a half-mile walking path.

“This is a great day as we break ground on what is the first of many regional detention ponds around Calcasieu Parish,” said Anthony Bartie, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Vice President. “Contraband Bayou is an ongoing concern for flooding, so this detention basin project is especially needed in the area. On behalf of the entire Police Jury, I pledge to our residents that we will continue to make drainage and flooding our utmost priority.”

"This project will help with flooding within the watershed and surrounding community, while offering residents passive park amenities – such as a walking path,” said Alberto Galan, Assistant to the Parish Administrator. “It is being funded with a combination of local parish and federal funds from the American Rescue Plan allocation granted to the Police Jury. These funds are also being utilized to fund various other water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure projects parishwide.”

Triton Construction will begin work on the $5.76 million project immediately after the groundbreaking ceremony. Construction is expected to be completed in March 2024.

To view the ceremony in its entirety, click HERE.

For project updates, visit calcasieuparish.gov.

How does it work?  The Louisiana Avenue Regional Detention Basin will have a significant impact towards better drainage in Calcasieu Parish. The project is expected to start soon. Helen Curol is one of the many residents who should see improved drainage in their neighborhoods -- and in surrounding areas -- as a result of the project.

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Let's Talk Drainage Webinar Series

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s Division of Engineering and Public Works and Calcasieu Parish Regional Watershed Management has concluded their four-part webinar series called “Let’s Talk Drainage.”  The purpose of this series is to describe the various elements that contribute to the current flooding vulnerabilities in Calcasieu Parish, explain various mitigation strategies and associated costs, and develop an overall process to mitigate these vulnerabilities within acceptable limits.  “It is important that the citizens of Calcasieu Parish watch these webinars because flooding has affected all of us,” said Terry Frelot, Assistant Director of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury’s Division of Engineering and Public Works. “To effectively plan for floods, you must first understand why the flooding occurs.”

To view the entire video series, CLICK HERE 

• Session 1 - Introduction and Overview
• Session 2 – Programs
• Session 3 – Policies
• Session 4 – Projects

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FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program 

FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is a federal program that allows a parish or county to submit residential structures that have a significant flood risk to be mitigated, by either elevating the structure to a height above historical flood levels, or by purchasing the property.  For more information on this grant program, click HERE.

Drainage Lateral Cleanout Project

The project to remove drainage lateral debris from Hurricanes Laura and Delta is currently ongoing. The cost is projected to exceed $100 million, up to 90% of which will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  To receive the 90% reimbursement, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury must adhere to strict FEMA guidelines. The project will clear a total of 1,316 miles of laterals of hurricane debris. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury began the process of scoping the program, identifying debris, and obtaining necessary permitting and various federal agency approvals in 2020, following Hurricane Laura. The Police Jury approved cooperative endeavor agreements with the two Calcasieu Parish drainage districts to allow the program to begin May 27, 2021, and the Jury selected Crowder Gulf as the contractor July 1, 2021. Debris removal in phase 1A began in early October, 2021.

To watch a video explaining the process, click HERE.
Project Update Video HERE.

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Road and Drainage Trust Fund 

At its Thursday. Aug. 4 meeting, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury awarded more than $1.6 million in grants for various parish road and drainage improvement projects from the 2022 Road and Drainage Trust Fund Program.  These projects are part of the Police Jury's Strategic Planning Priority to focus on long-term infrastructure needs and implement projects and initiatives that leverage partnerships and funding sources at all levels.

To learn more about the Police Jury's Strategic Planning, visit www.calcasieuparish.gov/strategicplanning.

The grants include:

• Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1 (West Calcasieu): $500,000 for Buxton Creek paved lateral improvements
• Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 2 (East Calcasieu): $500,000 for Fifth Avenue and Broad Street lateral channel reconstruction
• Town of Iowa $109,200 for David/Lightner watershed drainage Improvements
• City of DeQuincy: $218,400 for Hayes Street drainage improvements
• City of Sulphur: $170,800 for Ashley, Brandi, and Tillman streets rehabilitation
• City of Westlake: $114,800 for Lateral W-34/Garfield Street lateral drainage improvements

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Calcasieu Parish Public Works Crews 

The Calcasieu Parish Department of Public Works has a several crews who's efforts impact drainage.

• Right-of-way maintenance
• Storm water drainage
• Road vegetation (mowing)
• Road vegetation (spraying)
• Culvert flush

To learn more about Public Works Crews and their drainage efforts, click HERE.