By JIM BUTLER

The state is shifting $57 million in federal funds to provide additional financing for drainage and flood control.

About $1.2 billion in mitigation money was received by Louisiana Watershed Initiative following devastating flooding in 2020.

Several years later some projects are completed or underway, others remain on drawing boards.

About $23 million will be added to local/regional funding and another $34 million transferred to address matching funds requests, according to posted notice.

Losing funds will be monitoring, mapping and modeling services and policy/planning.

Most of Rapides is in Region 5 for the funding use, along with a number of other south-central parishes.

Projects approved in the parish include the Chatlain Lake Canal Backwater Overflow Relief Structure, currently estimated at almost $20 million, up from around $13 million when first approved.

That Alexandria package includes routing backwater across LA Hwy. 1 to Red River via a new control system.

In Pineville about $7 million is allocated for the Huffman Creek Pump Station and improvements. Bids were received last fall.

Also in the parish:

• LSUA drainage improvements;
• Horseshoe Canal hardening;
• Lee Street drainage/pump station improvements.