NEW ROADS - Years of runoff is filling up False River with silt. Parts of the lake are only a foot high, creating a problem for the area most used for boating and fishing. The parish is looking to slow down Mother Nature.

“Runoff and sedimentation has come into the lake. It's a common aspect of oxbow lakes. More than 30,000 acres just flow into the river,” said Parish President Major Thibaut, on why this is happening.

To fix this in the past, the parish has dredged the south side of the lake pushing all of the silt to the middle creating an island. But starting as soon as the end of the week, Thibaut will be trying something new.

“The silt will be totally removed from the lake. On the north end of the lake you have more camps, houses businesses, so totally removing it is the best case scenario. It will pumped on to an adjacent property on the north side of the lake,” said Thibaut.

The funding for this is coming from the state. The project will cost around $1.6 million. Thibaut says finding a property owner who wants the soil on their land was the hardest part.

“It had to be the right homeowner or property owner who was willing to say ‘hey let me be a team player, let me be part of the community and allow y’all to put this soil on my property,” says Thibaut. “In return, they can use [the soil] on their property however they need to use it.”

Thibaut says this tactic will be more effective. It will make the lake deeper, thus more enjoyable for the city that thrives on the water.

Dredging will last 4 to 5 months. Thibaut says it will not affect a lot of the boating activity in the summer.