BATON ROUGE - According to a Friday news release from the Baton Rouge Mayor's Office, the Parish has secured funding for the Jones Creek Detention Project through the Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI). 

The city-parish has committed $3.27M and $6M is being awarded from the LWI, for a total project cost of $9.27M. The funding will be used to purchase approximately 65 acres of undeveloped land near the old Sherwood Forest Golf Course to be utilized for stormwater detention and potentially as a park. 

Officials say this space will allow approximately 210,00 cubic yards of storage volume for runoff in an effort to mitigate flood levels throughout the area. It's expected that this will aid in slowing the flow of water into the drainage system. 

 “This project is another example of the aggressive approach my administration is taking to address drainage throughout the parish. We will continue working with our regional partners to build a stronger and more resilient community,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

Recently, the Louisiana Watershed Initiative approved the Bayou Duplantier Floodplain Acquisition ($8.5M) and Ward Creek Floodplain Acquisition and Detention ($5.7M) Projects. These three projects are 100% federally funded. 

 The Louisiana Watershed Initiative (LWI) is a holistic approach to watershed management, that goes beyond conventional mitigation measures and incorporates nature-based solutions. 

The program represents a $100 million project funding opportunity for eligible local and regional projects that will address immediate flood mitigation needs. 

As a high-risk area, East Baton Rouge Parish has submitted five proposed projects to the Louisiana Watershed Initiative for funding assistance, three have been approved for funding. 

Many of these projects encompass areas that were greatly affected by the 2016 flooding that show benefit to areas exceeding that footprint and neighboring parishes.