ARBC Advances Upper Amite Restoration and Major Bayou Manchac Flood Projects

"Attacking flood risk from every direction - and

turning plans into projects" 

LIVINGSTON, La. — September 10, 2026 — The Amite River Basin Commission took significant steps Tuesday to advance flood-risk reduction throughout the Capital Region, moving its first Upper Amite River restoration site toward implementation, advancing a $2 million federal restoration initiative, and reporting major progress toward construction of long-planned Bayou Manchac flood projects.

“Today’s actions show that the Amite River Basin Commission is moving from planning to doing. We’re advancing major projects with our partners on Bayou Manchac, preparing our first Upper Amite restoration site for construction, leveraging $2 million in federal funding to build a restoration program that can be replicated across the basin, and using better data and technology to guide our decisions. We’re attacking flood risk from every direction—and turning plans into projects,” said John Clark, President of the Amite River Basin Commission.

The Commission authorized advertising a site-preparation contract for its recently acquired 145-acre former sand and gravel mining property in St. Helena Parish. Work will include restoring access roads, clearing vegetation and removing debris to prepare the property for flood detention and restoration.

ARBC also approved a scope of work to present to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for $2 million to develop a regional "restoration toolkit" and begin restoration at the St. Helena pilot site.

The toolkit will establish a repeatable framework for restoring future properties based on each site’s geography, hydrology and hydraulics. The St. Helena property will serve as an implementation laboratory for strategies including restoring river function, stabilizing sediment, reconnecting floodplains and repurposing former sand pits for flood storage.

Bayou Manchac Projects Moving Toward Construction

Pontchartrain Levee District (PLD) Executive Director Monica Gorman reported major progress on nearly $14 million in projects stemming from their 2021 Bayou Manchac Flood Risk Reduction Plan.

Gorman reported that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits were secured in March and June 2026 for Upper Bayou Manchac crossing replacements and clearing and snagging from Nicholson Drive to the Amite River. Additional permits are being pursued for dredging from Alligator Bayou to the Amite River and the Perkins Road Bridge replacement.

PLD construction of the Upper Bayou Manchac Crossing Replacement is expected to begin in early 2027, followed by the Perkins Road and Upper Bayou Manchac channelization projects in mid-2027.

Separately, the East Baton Rouge Metro Council on August 26 approved up to $1.75 million for engineering services as part of the $30 million Bayou Manchac Restoration and Ward Creek Realignment Project, which will improve drainage by removing sediment blockage between Old Perkins Road and the Amite River and realigning Ward Creek through BREC’s Airline Highway Park.

Altogether, the approximately $44 million regional effort addresses Bayou Manchac from the Mississippi River to the Amite River through projects advanced by multiple local, regional and state partners.

Technology and Data Complement Flood Projects

ARBC also approved efforts to collaborate with Louisiana State University, including an effort led by Dr. Z. George Xue to extend operational water-level forecasting into portions of the basin where real-time river observations are limited. A separate letter supports collaboration on an LSU proposal to the National Science Foundation.

“Taken together, Tuesday’s actions demonstrate the breadth of our flood-risk reduction strategy: partnerships, major infrastructure, restoring the Upper Amite’s natural flood-management capacity, and using better technology and data to understand and manage flood risk throughout the basin,” Clark said.

About the Amite River Basin Commission

At ARBC, our mission is to mitigate flood damage, coordinate river management, promote responsible watershed management, and to conserve and restore the unique natural resources in the Amite River Basin watershed. The Basin includes Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, St. Helena, and St. James Parishes. For more information visit www.amitebasin.org. 

Contact: Paul Sawyer, Amite River Basin Commission, psawyer@amitebasin.org, 225-296-4900.

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