Comite River Canal Diversion Project Task Force

From Rep. Valarie Hodges

The Comite River Canal Diversion Project Task Force met Tuesday to discuss the ongoing project to build the Comite River Canal, which would alleviate flood pressure in the Comite and Amite River basins as well as reduce flood insurance costs. Chris Knotts of the Department of Transportation and Development, Bobby Duplantier of the Army Corps of Engineers and Dietmar Rietscheir of the the Amite River Basin Commission were present to provide the task force members an update on the project. Each department listed the work they have been providing as part of the phases. "It is essential that we continue to move forward on this project," state Representative Valarie Hodges said. "Residents in that area face the threat of a flood every time we get a downpour of rain. We can not allow a catastrophe that costs the state hundreds of millions of dollars to happen in this region again." The next hurdle is the relocation of pipes, which was stated in the meeting would need roughly 25 million dollars to complete. The three acting groups reported that there was a total of approximately 18 million dollars available on hand. "The good report from the day is that we are near completion in fulfilling the necessary amount of mitigation land for the project to continue," Rep. Hodges said. "The next step is to request the necessary funding both at a state and at a federal level to relocate the piping and complete construction of the Highway 61 portion of the project. We will continue to work with our Congressional delegation on the funding of this project as we move forward." This Comite River Canal oversight committee is designed to include various affected entities in an effort to hold the departments involved in building this project accountable as they continue in the design and construction phases. To view the entire meeting, visit house.louisiana.gov archived videos.