Louisiana - On December 21, 2023, the Council on Watershed Management gave its approval for 40 flood risk reduction projects to receive conditional funding awards as part of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative's Round 2 funding opportunity. These projects are aimed at benefiting at-risk, disadvantaged communities throughout the state.
After the pre-application phase, watershed region steering committees have prioritized projects submitted in their respective regions that align with LWI's long-term resilience goals. LWI state agencies have then reviewed the regionally selected projects for CDBG-MIT eligibility and recommended 40 regionally prioritized projects, totaling $221.8 million, to the council for conditional Round 2 awards. However, these Round 2 funding awards are contingent on project applicants completing a feasibility study and full application and receiving state approval. To support applicants in this process, the state will provide engineering services such as hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, additional technical assistance, and project scoping support if needed to enhance project pre-applications and support the development of full applications.
The state will evaluate full applications based on the outcomes of the engineering studies.
In Southwest Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish stands to receive $11.85 million for the Greinwich Terrace Stormwater Management Project, and the City of Lake Charles is being considered for $3.15 million in funding for 6th Street drainage improvements.
“When Louisiana received federal flood mitigation funding following the 2016 floods, we committed to using these dollars to reduce flood risk through a watershed-based approach guided by science and data—and LWI is doing just that,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said. “I’m incredibly proud of the extensive work our state and watershed regions have done through this initiative to fund projects that will make our state more resilient for years to come.”