SLIDELL — St. Tammany Parish Government has been awarded $7.9 million dollars through the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to fund the Lower W-15 Area/Lower French Branch Basin Drainage Improvement Project in Slidell.
As part of ongoing flooding mitigation efforts Parish-wide, this grant will fund improvements to the W-15 Canal including: Widening the W-15 Canal, and the construction of a 54-acre regional detention pond (Tenet Pond) which will create approximately 324 acres of floodplain storage adjacent to the W-15 just north of Gause Boulevard in Slidell.
The project will accomplish two main objectives: it will reduce peak runoff to the W-15 Canal downstream of the Tenet Pond, and increase the conveyance capacity of the W-15 Canal, and thereby reduce impact to homes and businesses throughout the W-15 Basin.
“We work every day to address flood mitigation and drainage challenges unique to our Parish,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “This grant award moves this multi-layered project forward, and as a result, we will see increased movement of water away from homes during a flooding event.”
This award, ties back to Hurricane Ike which impacted the coast of Louisiana in September of 2008, is a matching grant, which means St. Tammany Parish Government will absorb 25% of the cost of the $10.6 million project. Pending approval by the St. Tammany Parish Council at the February 2, 2017 Council meeting, Parish Government will fund the remaining $ 2.6 million. This project is currently in the design phase and construction is expected to begin in the latter part of 2017.
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$7.9 million grant to aid in drainage
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