A plan to create reservoir systems to help reduce flood risk in nine Louisiana parishes, including Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jeff Davis and Vernon, is being endorsed by the Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury.

Police jurors this week pledged their support for the proposed Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) Region 4 Series Reservoir Network Plan in a letter to Michael Hollier, executive director of the Calcasieu Regional Planning Commission. Hollier serves as the watershed coordinator for the region.

“We believe this network plan is critical to the health and longevity of the watershed region and will greatly contribute to the future development of the nine west Louisiana parishes,” Police Jury President Steve Eastman wrote in endorsing the plan.

The proposed project will address repetitive residential flooding in Region 4 which includes Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, DeSoto, Jeff Davis, Rapides, Sabine and Vernon parishes.

Located along the western border of Louisiana with Texas, Region 4 includes several substantial communities, including the city of Lake Charles and the surrounding areas, Toledo Bend Reservoir, Cameron Parish and Fort Polk. The proposed reservoir system will affect about 277,962 acres and assist in alleviating flood damage throughout the watershed, according to the letter.

The goal of the plan is to help evaluate the cause and extent of repetitive residential flooding; identify and develop an intercostal series of reservoirs throughout the region; develop a system of pumps and pipelines to redistribute and repurpose floodwater through the reservoir network; identify potential economic, recreation, coastal restoration and clean water initiatives for each reservoir; identity a means to recharge the Chicot Aquifer; identify and purpose funding solutions; develop and plan action to implement the plan and create the West Louisiana Public Coordination District to manage and govern the plan.

Overall, the network plan will continue to support the development and protection of the watershed region, attract new enterprises, sustain current jobs and help mitigate flood losses.

Parish Engineer Alex Guillory, who represents the Police Jury on the Region 4 and Region 5 Watershed Initiative boards, said the project is part of the state’s Watershed Initiative program.

The program began in 2019, following devastating floods in 2015 and 2016 throughout the state.

“John Bel Edwards, through governor’s orders, formed the Louisiana Watershed Initiative, a consortium of five state agencies to try to understand why we flood, how to get out in front of it and do some better planning to hopefully reduce flood losses in Louisiana,” Guillory said.

As a result, eight regional commissions were formed throughout the state. Jeff Davis Parish is included in Region 4 which is centered around Calcasieu Parish and Region 5 which is centered around Lafayette Parish.

“Through the last 4 years, discussions and lots of planning have taken place,” Guillory said. “One of the migration options to try to reduce flood losses that Region 4 has developed is called their Series Reservoirs.”

The plan includes the Sabine River and Calcasieu Parish watersheds. Several locations have been identified as storage reservoirs to hold floodwaters and reduce flood losses, he said.

The reservoirs could also be used for recreation and to recharge the Chicot Aquifer, which is being overdrawn by 300 million gallons a day, according to Guillory.

“It’s a very ambitious project and it is the lead initiative as far as planning for the regional planning commission for the Louisiana Watershed Initiative,” Guillory said.