MARINGOUIN, La. (RFD News) — For Louisiana farmers, proper drainage can be the difference between a successful crop and a total loss. New projects across the state are focused on improving water flow and helping farms manage high water levels.
According to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Louisiana will need an estimated $9 billion in water system repairs over the next 20 years. Farmer Curtis Engemann says backwater from a devastating storm covered his sugarcane and soybeans, wiping out a strong crop supply.
“I would have been in about knee-deep in water. It got under our grain bins that were full of beans and was a couple inches from getting in them,” Engemann explains. “Then these fields on the other side, they’ll go underwater, and usually it would get off within a day or so.”
Louisiana Conservation Districts and the Upper Delta Soil and Water District President Gay Price says several projects are currently being launched, particularly in Delta conservation districts, which are key to reducing flood risk. Some of these efforts include reconnecting bayous and dredging channels.
“They’re going to improve the channel by dredging, and it’ll increase the storage capacity tremendously during times of high water further.”
While current weather conditions are dry in Louisiana, farmers say it does not take much rain for fields and homes to flood, which is why these projects are seen as critical for the future.
