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Comite Diversion Canal.....time to take it seriously


cajun

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Here's one EBR Flood Map...don't remember posting anything like this

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_8c551318-0feb-11e7-8211-fb5546dd2e8e.html

Flood depth map

 

Here is a MORE detailed map when you zoom in; even shows houses effected...i'd say it's abt 98% accurate

http://ebrgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=1c4ac9fca97846d2a1780a90fc68c6eb

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Without the canal, most of the parish is off the map as far as development including large parts of Baton Rouge that have been developed for 100 years.

The most populated parish in the entire state can't even get a ditch built.

Edited by cajun
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Advocate Editorial:

Gov Edward's announces brilliant plan to invest in Nigerian royalty

"When the son of the deposed King of Nigeria emails you directly asking for help, you help", said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.    "Since New Orleans is already flush with every last state tax dollar collected from Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, and Lafayette......there is no better investment for Louisiana than one with a guaranteed return of 300%"

We at the Baton Rouge Advocate took a very rare break from kissing the governor's feet to publicly applaud this bold, brilliant move.   We believe this is a far better investment for Louisiana's tax dollars than that Comite Diversion canal.   After all, what are the chances that we see flooding like that ever again?

The King of Nigeria could not be reached for comment.

LINK - The Baton Rouge Advocate

Edited by cajun
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http://www.wafb.com/story/35077865/gov-john-bel-edwards-testifies-about-flood-recovery-before-congressional-committee

In a congressional hearing, Louisiana's governor didn't know how many people were displaced by the flooding.    FEMA gets blasted for allocate giant fema trailers that are too large for most homes or to be towed by a common pickup truck, slowing their distribution.   

Still no mention of funding for a diversion canal that could have saved thousands of homes.   Or why the state is paying landowners so much to lease space to house FEMA trailers from Katrina that are apparently too rotted to use today.   

It's like they took what they learned from Katrina and Sandy and decided to screw things up even more on response while ignoring a potential solution completely.  

Edited by cajun
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I'm honestly shocked.  

 

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Nearly 313 acres purchased for Comite River Diversion Canal land mitigation

https://www.businessreport.com/article/nearly-313-acres-purchased-comite-river-diversion-canal-land-mitigation

The Amite River Basin Commission purchased nearly 313 acres of land last week in the McHugh Swamp area to be used as mitigation for construction of the Comite River Diversion Canal.

The Amite River Basin Drainage and Water Conservation District, represented by Don Thompson, paid roughly $1.5 million to Troyland LLC, represented by Troy Furr, for approximately 312.8 acres, according to sales documents filed Friday.

Dietmar Rietschier, executive director of the Amite River Basin Commission, says the land will be used to mitigate work done on the canal in the next few years.

The 313 acres and other land purchased by the commission in recent years will offset unavoidable wetlands impact by the project. The land used for mitigation will be preserved and will not be used for development.

The Comite River Diversion Canal is a long-proposed canal running between Baker and Zachary that will connect the Comite and Mississippi rivers. The canal will supposedly divert flood water into the Mississippi River during heavy rains.

 

Quote

 

The commission has been working on the project since 2001, even though the canal has been in the works for nearly three decades, and collects a 3-mill property tax from East Baton Rouge, Ascension and Livingston parishes.

Rietschier says the project has been continuously beset by governmental delays and inefficiencies. He calls it an “agonizing slow project.”

 

 

This project is absolutely critical for the continued growth of northern East Baton Rouge (as well as Livingston).  

Edited by cajun
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We'll see:

360 acres bought for Comite diversion project, next phase could begin in 2018

SAM KARLIN | @samkarlin
NOVEMBER 2, 2017
  

The Amite River Basin Commission has purchased another 360 acres of land for the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal project.  

With the new land—which is in the McHugh Swamp between Baker and Zachary—the commission now has the land it needs to begin construction on the next phase of the diversion canal. The next step, says commission executive director Dietmar Rietschier, is building bridges and moving utilities along an area between state highways 19 and 67.

Rietschier says the land purchased this week will be used both as right of way for the canal and to mitigate impacts on wetlands, which is required by the federal government.

If funding for the project comes through, Rietschier says the next phase will begin construction in six to 12 months. The project has been delayed for years and has become a flashpoint for drainage concerns in the wake of last year’s flood, which devastated the region where the canal is planned.

The roughly 360 acres brings the total land the commission has acquired to well over 1,000 acres. The commission bought the land for $2 million from Beech Grove Farms limited partnership in a deal that closed Wednesday.

The commission, the state Department of Transportation and Development and the Army Corps of Engineers have been buying up land in recent years and building a large flood control project at Lily Bayou. A lack of funding has long hampered the project, which was designed to mitigate flooding by diverting water to the Mississippi River.

“All of this hinges on funding,” Rietschier says. “I feel very optimistic that once we move forward we’ll gain the momentum to keep going.”

businessreport.com

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On 11/3/2017 at 9:15 AM, dan326 said:

We'll see:

360 acres bought for Comite diversion project, next phase could begin in 2018

SAM KARLIN | @samkarlin
NOVEMBER 2, 2017
  

The Amite River Basin Commission has purchased another 360 acres of land for the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal project.  

With the new land—which is in the McHugh Swamp between Baker and Zachary—the commission now has the land it needs to begin construction on the next phase of the diversion canal. The next step, says commission executive director Dietmar Rietschier, is building bridges and moving utilities along an area between state highways 19 and 67.

Rietschier says the land purchased this week will be used both as right of way for the canal and to mitigate impacts on wetlands, which is required by the federal government.

If funding for the project comes through, Rietschier says the next phase will begin construction in six to 12 months. The project has been delayed for years and has become a flashpoint for drainage concerns in the wake of last year’s flood, which devastated the region where the canal is planned.

The roughly 360 acres brings the total land the commission has acquired to well over 1,000 acres. The commission bought the land for $2 million from Beech Grove Farms limited partnership in a deal that closed Wednesday.

The commission, the state Department of Transportation and Development and the Army Corps of Engineers have been buying up land in recent years and building a large flood control project at Lily Bayou. A lack of funding has long hampered the project, which was designed to mitigate flooding by diverting water to the Mississippi River.

“All of this hinges on funding,” Rietschier says. “I feel very optimistic that once we move forward we’ll gain the momentum to keep going.”

businessreport.com

A baby step in the right direction.

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On 11/10/2017 at 12:20 AM, Antrell Williams said:

Could this be a class action case against the state? Obviously not if we haven't seen "If you or anyone you know..." commercials. 

It should be.   It's ridiculous how hostile the state is to the needs of Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas.

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  • 5 months later...

Nearly Two Years since the Great Flood of 16'

Newsmaker of the Week: Comite River Diversion Canal  

With a host of state and congressional leaders pleading the case, Louisiana has finally secured the federal funds necessary to complete the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal. The sought-after funding is part of a $1.4 billion package from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be used for flood and hurricane protection projects throughout the state, but there is still no deadline for when the canal will be built.

A lack of funding has long hampered the Comite River Diversion Canal, but the project regained some urgency after the August 2016 flooding. The 12-mile canal is supposed to provide flood protection to the Lower Comite and Lower Amite River Basins, benefiting areas such as Central, Port Vincent, Denham Springs, Baker and Zachary. The canal would reduce flood stages at areas within the basins by diverting water from the Comite River and three bayous to the Mississippi River.

In May 2016, the Amite River Basin Commission had purchased 360 acres of land in the McHugh Swamp area for the project, the commission followed up by acquiring another 300 plus acres in 2017 and 89 acres earlier this year, with officials saying that but for lack of funding and permitting, construction could begin within a year.

*rest of article

https://www.businessreport.com/article/newsmaker-comite-river-diversion-canal

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Don't blame you Dan....it's easy for me to do too.  Countless delays on so many different area projects (including this one) make it frustrating ! + Status Quo attitudes :rolleyes:

Just got back from my 1st Trip to So. Cal...  WOW!   Very few places can make Houston seem small...but the L.A. area is one of them!!  The new Wilshire Tower(city's new 2nd Tallest) looks really nice!   That place is the Freeway capital of the World! :blink:  The mountains  were cool & seeing the Pacific Ocean too.:shades:   San Diego was my favorite...Anaheim resort area was nice too. 

Gas $3.69 there compared to $2.49 here....CO$T of Living there :o  NO THANKS!  People are basically being  forced to  move out.

$250,000  house here in BR =  $964,000 in Anaheim

It doesn't rain over there in the Summer...but here in South Louisiana you sneeze too loud & it rains!

Edited by richyb83
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5 hours ago, richyb83 said:

Don't blame you Dan....it's easy for me to do too.  Countless delays on so many different area projects (including this one) make it frustrating ! + Status Quo attitudes :rolleyes:

Just got back from my 1st Trip to So. Cal...  WOW!   Very few places can make Houston seem small...but the L.A. area is one of them!!  The new Wilshire Tower(city's new 2nd Tallest) looks really nice!   That place is the Freeway capital of the World! :blink:  The mountains  were cool & seeing the Pacific Ocean too.:shades:   San Diego was my favorite...Anaheim resort area was nice too. 

Gas $3.69 there compared to $2.49 here....CO$T of Living there :o  NO THANKS!  People are basically being  forced to  move out.

$250,000  house here in BR =  $964,000 in Anaheim

It doesn't rain over there in the Summer...but here in South Louisiana you sneeze too loud & it rains!

Nice, I always wanted to visit over there. Yup, I was telling a foreign friend that Houston is like our New York City for Louisianians who don't travel much, lol. I've heard San Diego is one of the nicest cities in the country. 

I'm sure, my mom and I watch HGTV and are always amazed at the price you have to pay for a small house.

LOL! 

 

Edited by dan326
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  • 9 months later...

Wow! It's really happening now! The giant bath tub will actually become a giant Canal!

Lawmakers break ground on Comite diversion project

w Video

http://www.wafb.com/2019/04/18/lawmakers-break-ground-comite-diversion-project/

image.thumb.png.bc6bdc520b6201da3cd37fbbfac3c5e4.png

 
By Matt Houston | April 16, 2019 at 3:11 PM CDT - Updated April 17 at 7:43 PM

ZACHARY, LA (WAFB) - Lawmakers broke ground Wednesday, April 17 on the long-awaited Comite River Diversion Canal project that could save thousands in the capital region time and money by lowering floodwater.

The canal will drain the Comite into the Mississippi during high-water events, potentially mitigating flooding in the entire Baton Rouge region, but particularly aiding residents in Livingston and northern East Baton Rouge parishes.

Comite Diversion Canal Project map
 
Comite Diversion Canal Project map

“For nearly 30 years, construction of the Comite River Diversion Canal had literally been tied up in federal red tape," Governor John Bel Edwards said. "It lacked a real funding commitment, and yet the need to complete the project has only grown.”

The project found more than $300 million in federal funding when Congress prioritized flood mitigation after devastating hurricanes in Texas, Puerto Rico, and Florida.

"We got to step up and say, ‘Wait a second. What about the Great Flood of 2016?' U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy said. "If you look at the dollar value of the damage, and the lives and families so powerfully affected, there’s as much a case to be made to address that issue as for the surrounding hurricanes.”

The project was proposed in the late 1970s, and lawmakers broke ground on a $30 million portion of the project in 2003 at Lilly Bayou. It sits mostly useless now, but will be tied into the final structure.

Officials broke ground on the Comite River Diversion Canal project Wednesday, April 17
 
Officials broke ground on the Comite River Diversion Canal project Wednesday, April 17 (WAFB)

“This is serious. This is definitive. This is happening,” U.S. Representative Garret Graves said. "This project is a no-brainer because we’re going to pay one or way or another, either through FEMA and extra flood costs while picking up our communities, rebuilding our businesses, and rebuilding our homes, or we can be proactive and make an investment that’s going to save money and pay off over time.”

Workers are now moving utilities from underneath Airline Highway. Digging could begin as soon as August, and DOTD will have to build a bridge over the canal. A by-pass is already in place.

The 12-mile canal should be finished in early 2021.

The project consists of a 12-mile long diversion canal from the Comite River to the Mississippi River, as well as:

  • Diversion structure at the Comite River
  • Guide levees
  • Control structure at Lilly Bayou control
  • 4 drop structures at the intersections of the diversion channel with McHugh Road, Bayou Baton Rouge, Cypress Bayou, and White Bayou, as well as Highway and Railroad bridges
  • Low-flow augmentation pumps at intercepted streams
  • Earthen closure at Brooks Lake
  • Clearing and snagging of Bayou Baton Rouge, White Bayou and Cypress Bayou north of the diversion channel will reduce flooding in those areas
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Comite River Diversion Canal construction gears up, but here's why some worry about timeline

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_19331102-2da9-11eb-a77a-afbbb0d58149.html

image.png.6e34bf1355130907978f0f8ba3090071.pngComite diversion 3 at hwy 61.jpg

Like a swiping cut across the landscape, the 12-mile long diversion canal will draw water from the Comite River and shunt it to the Mississippi River, lessening flood levels on the lower Amite River and related bayous, various analyses have shown.

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On 7/9/2018 at 1:28 PM, richyb83 said:

Nearly Two Years since the Great Flood of 16'

Newsmaker of the Week: Comite River Diversion Canal  

With a host of state and congressional leaders pleading the case, Louisiana has finally secured the federal funds necessary to complete the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal. The sought-after funding is part of a $1.4 billion package from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be used for flood and hurricane protection projects throughout the state, but there is still no deadline for when the canal will be built.

A lack of funding has long hampered the Comite River Diversion Canal, but the project regained some urgency after the August 2016 flooding. The 12-mile canal is supposed to provide flood protection to the Lower Comite and Lower Amite River Basins, benefiting areas such as Central, Port Vincent, Denham Springs, Baker and Zachary. The canal would reduce flood stages at areas within the basins by diverting water from the Comite River and three bayous to the Mississippi River.

In May 2016, the Amite River Basin Commission had purchased 360 acres of land in the McHugh Swamp area for the project, the commission followed up by acquiring another 300 plus acres in 2017 and 89 acres earlier this year, with officials saying that but for lack of funding and permitting, construction could begin within a year.

*rest of article

https://www.businessreport.com/article/newsmaker-comite-river-diversion-canal

 

I looked at this map in pretty deep detail last weekend.   

I see a big benefit to the Comite watershed area (Zachary, Baton Rouge, parts of Central), but there's less benefit to the Amite watershed (lower Central, southeastern EBR, all of Livingston).    That that a massive cure-all is needed.   If the 2016 flood waters were lowered by just 10" at  the Denham Springs river gauge, it would have reduced the number of homes that flooded by thousands.    The Comite Diversion Canal will likely reduce the water level under similar circumstances by 2-3 feet along the Comite, but perhaps less than 2' downstream towards Denaham Springs.   Definitely a huge help and could keep the Henderson Bayou structure (in AP) from being overtopped by backwater flooding like it was in 2016, but it's not the silver bullet that some people want.      A lot of homes in Denham Springs saw 4' of water or more. 

For something to help with the Amite flooding, I think they really need to revisit the Darlington reservoir idea up in St. Helena parish.     Or build out multiple smaller estuaries upstream where at least some flood waters can be retained, reducing the strain on the system.   And definitely dredge and clear those rivers more than once every 50 years.

And longer term, if development occurs upriver in Mississippi, there will be more runoff and more severe flooding in Louisiana.    The Corps may seriously need to consider multiple reservoirs even north of the border to retain water and release it in a controlled manner.    

Edited by cajun
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