WBRZ - Baton Rouge

St. James Parish is getting a federal grant of nearly $250,000 to construct a waterline booster pump station along Highway 44 in Convent.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement announced Friday that it approved the $249,000 grant for the second phase of the project.

Booster pump stations provide potable water to residents and businesses in the parish along the east bank of the Mississippi River, including oil refineries and chemical plants.

The bureau says the project reflects the parish's increase in offshore oil and gas activities.