If all goes as planned, dredging of the badly-silted Catahoula Lake could begin as soon as September 2019.
The silting, caused by sluggish water flow, has reduced portions of Catahoula Lake to little more than a narrow channel between sand bars. That is causing a choke point that is limiting the ability of the lake to accommodate high volumes of storm water.
Several canals and bayous that drain a total of 120,000 acres in several Acadiana parishes eventually converge and empty into Catahoula Lake. It is essential that water is able to flow into and out of it at an adequate rate, which it cannot do because of the silting. This has been determined to be one of the issues that have made flooding an increasing problem in recent years and contributed to the August 2016 flooding.
At the April 17 parish council meeting, engineer Todd Vincent of Sellers and Associates, reported on the firm’s findings of its study and recommendations to solve the problem.
Dredging of the lake is the only solution, Vincent said. A minimum of approximately 65,000 cubic yards must be removed to bring the minimum lake depth to the eight feet needed to ensure proper drainage. The cost to do that will be about $1 million.
As always, disposal of the spoil is a major challenge. The next task is to secure a location to deposit the material, which will fill a 40-acre area to the depth of one foot. A disposal site is required before a Corps of Engineers permit application can be submitted, Vincent said.
The hope, Parish President Chester Cedars said, is that one of the farm owners nearby will welcome the opportunity to elevate a field. If one can be found at no cost, it will save 20 to 25 percent of the budget and could allow dredging to a greater depth. The spoil can be pumped as far as one mile economically, Vincent added.
