U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) announced today that the Corps of Engineers has awarded a $17,554,968.82 contract to construct the structure that will drain Cypress Bayou floodwaters into the new Comite Diversion Canal and then into the Mississippi River.
Three bayous (in addition to the Comite River) will drain directly into the new Comite diversion canal – Cypress Bayou, Bayou Baton Rouge and White's Bayou – and all pose a direct flood risk to Baker and Zachary. Drop Structures are the features that connect and drain the bayous into the new Comite canal. Today's award will construct the crucial and needed drop structure that will significantly improve drainage and flood protection in the Baker and Zachary area.
"The Comite Flood Protection Project doesn't just divert flood risk off the Comite River – the flood protection improvements in areas Baker and Zachary that have suffered will see huge progress. The contract awarded today for the Cypress Bayou control structure is another major step toward the completion of the flood control project that folks have waited to see for decades. This is a big step forward, but we're not done yet. We secured all the federal funding – including an additional $128 million secured recently to expedite Comite – and we will continue to hold the Corps and State's feet to the fire on finishing the project without any more delays," Graves said.
The Cypress Bayou Control Structure will consist of a sloped grade of rip rap (large rocks) that allows the bayou to flow efficiently into the diversion canal, allowing flood waters to divert to the Mississippi River.
Graves chaired the Corps of Engineers oversight committee in 2018 when he secured the $1.4 billion to clear the backlog of 1970s and 1980s flood projects and the $1.2 billion to pay for future protection. With billions more secured in recent years, the Capital Region and others have more flood protection funding than the regions have ever received.
"Since the 2016 Flood, we've been able to secure more than $5.6 billion in flood protection investments. Between the $1.5 billion to pay for the 1980s protection on projects like Comite that should have been built decades ago or the $1.2 billion and other funds for future protection, these investments will help make families and businesses in the Capital Region safer," Graves said.
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