Jeff Davis Parish will receive more than $2.7 million for a water improvement project in the Lacassine area.

The funding is part of $36 million earmarked for the state in the annual appropriations bills for fiscal year 2024, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. The measure includes more than $9 million to improve water infrastructure, $5.5 million for mental health and substance abuse services and $6 million for the Team Gleason Foundation for ALS health services.

“Louisiana needs to upgrade its infrastructure to 2023 standards,” Cassidy said Tuesday in a press release. “This money furthers that goal. We must also address the human need, which is all too apparent of those suffering from mental illness, substance abuse and other chronic diseases.”

The bills are expected to be part of the end-of-the-year funding package and receive a Senate vote soon, Cassidy said.

Police Jury President Steve Eastman said the money is among the funding being secured for a multi-phase water improvement project to benefit residents and businesses in the Lacassine area, including the industrial park.

“We have been working on the project with Water and Sewer Commission No.1 in the Thornwell area in an attempt to improve their volume and pressure for residences and businesses in the Lacassine area,” Eastman said.

Additional funding for the project, which will be done in phases over the next several years, is being provided from $5.2 million in state capital outlay funds over the next several years. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury will also provide $300,000 to improve the quality of life for its residents who are served by the water district.

The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury will also provide $1.4 million in American Rescue Plan funding as matching funds for the project.

The first phase of the project, which is currently in the engineering stage, will include storage tanks and booster pumps, Eastman said.

“As we move forward, the plans call for a well and a new water treatment facility in Lacassine,” he said.

Improvements to the rural water system have been in discussions since last year.

“The Police Jury had a vision that we needed to improve the water volume and pressure in the Lacassine area to encourage continued growth,” Eastman said.

Eastman said the western edge of Jeff Davis Parish, including areas along Interstate 10, U.S. 90 and U.S. 165, have seen substantial growth in the last 10 years with more growth anticipated as the area expands.

“The area has seen a lot of residential growth,” Eastman said. “We have seen many residents from Calcasieu Parish moving there because they want to be close to the Lake Charles area where they work.”

The industrial park in Lacassine is also prime for future economic growth, he said.