Federal, state and local leaders broke ground on the Bayou Lafourche Mississippi River Re-Introduction and Pumping Capacity Improvement Project in Donaldsonville on Friday. The project went out to bid for construction in January 2022 after receiving the final U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) permit in November 2021.
U.S. Congressman Garret Graves released the following statement:
“Bayou Lafourche was the largest distributary of the Mississippi River until it was dammed off in 1905. We have suffered ever since. Over a decade ago, we began efforts to dredge and restore the capacity of the bayou – allowing this next step. This important project will use federal, state and local funds to triple the pumping capacity to 1500 cubic feet per second of water from the Mississippi River into Bayou Lafourche. This will help to protect drinking water for 300,000 citizens, bolster coastal restoration efforts, and allow our coast to keep thriving,” Graves said. “With construction bids coming in tens of millions over cost estimates, this project could not have been done without the efforts of Governor Edwards, the Legislature, Chip Kline, Ben Malbrough, the freshwater district and so many others. This project originated in the 1970s. It is so good to finally see it reaching these final stages."
The project is being led by the Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District with support from the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
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