Louisiana Levees: "Watch Louisiana Grow"

In my earliest years, we lived on Johnson Street one block north of the papermill in West Monroe, Louisiana. When the papermill whistle blew at noon each day, my grandfather walked home for lunch. He would bring my brother and I, a paper bag hat. I have great memories waiting on the porch for him to come home at lunch.

It was great living next to my grandparents. If I got in trouble, grandmother would try to help me out without overstepping. I had no idea at the time, but that was probably my first introduction to diplomacy. The second came when I was old enough to understand the communication maneuver President John Fitzgerald Kennedy used when responding to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in 1962. It was about that time I discovered Walter Cronkite and the blue marble. It would be many years later before I appreciated my grandmother’s diplomatic qualities.

There was a wedding photograph in mom’s photo album that always sparked my curiosity. It was a picture of their car with the words “Watch Louisiana Grow” painted on the trunk. I went through my childhood not getting a good answer to what that meant. The day I figured it out, I let it everyone know I figured it out.

In 2022, the City of West Monroe continues to grow and prosper. We have become everything we are under the protection of our levee system. I’m sure this is true in many Louisiana communities. We are very fortunate to have the Tensas Basin Levee District maintaining the levee system and their decades of flood fighting experience. The Ouachita River Levee System has held back some infamous floods including 1945, 1958, 1983 and 1991.

Sometimes I think the bureaucrats in Washington need to be reminded Louisiana has vast natural resources and are part of the revenue stream that supports this nation. Then United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) needs to meet its maintenance obligations. This will ensure communities thrive and generate perpetual operating revenues for the federal government.  

The levees have cultural significance. From their role during the Christmas Celebrations, to the time you counted stars while sitting on the levee.    

The levee system must be maintained.

Ouachita River Levee System History (see source)

The Ouachita River Levee and Floodwall extends from Bastrop, levee station 0+00, in the north to just north of Sandy Bayou in the south, levee station 5585+00, for a total distance of approximately 105.8 miles. In general, the Ouachita River Levee runs along the south bank of Bayou Bartholomew to levee station 700+00 and then follows the Ouachita River along its east bank to the vicinity of Sandy Bayou. A portion of the Ouachita River Levee between the end of the existing levee (levee station 5585+00) and Sandy Bayou is authorized, but has not been constructed.

The Ouachita River Levee from Bastrop (Station 0+00) to Monroe (Station 2270+00) was constructed by the Federal Government under the authority of Section 1 of the Flood Control Act of 1928. This part of the Ouachita River levee system is 43 miles in length. This work was completed in 1934. There were, however, portions of this levee which were not constructed. These no-work reaches are located in areas of high ground between stations 0+00 and 500+00.

The Ouachita River Levee from Monroe (Station 2270+00) south to near Sandy Bayou (Station 5585+00) was construction under the provisions of Section 6 of the Flood Control Act of 1928. This levee was constructed in individual reaches over a period of several years. The last reach was completed in 1937. The length of the levee system is 62.8 miles. Construction was authorized to Station 5900+00; however, the lower 5.9 miles have not been constructed.

The Flood Control act of 1950 incorporated these levees described above into the Ouachita River and Tributaries Project.

The Flood Control Acts of 1950, 1965, and 1966 authorized completion of the no-work reaches within the city of Monroe. Construction consisted of floodwalls and was completed in 1977.

The existing levees, except for the closure of the Monroe Floodwall authorized in 1965 and Levee Enlargement (Station 2270+00 to 2931+49) were generally constructed to a design grade based on the flow line for the 1932 flood, plus freeboard, with a standard cross section dimension of a 10-foot roadway crown with a riverside slope of 1 on 3 and a landside slope of 1 on 4. Since design and construction of the levee system occurred over a number of years, the final grade for various segments of the project are actually based on different flow criteria. During 1955, a restudy of the Ouachita River flow lines was made as part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) review report. The results of this restudy provided the justification for increasing the authorized levee grades to what became known as the 1956 Project Design Levee Grade (the 1956 Project Design Flow Line, plus 3 feet of freeboard). This levee grade was approved by the President, Mississippi River Commission, on 23 December 1955, as an element of the MR&T Review Report which the Office, Chief of Engineers (HQUSACE), reviewed and approved.

The major factors which contributed to raising the levee design grade were an increase in flows on the Ouachita River as a result of extensive drainage improvements to tributary streams and a loss of storage area as a result of construction of the Ouachita River Levee system.

Sources: Newspaper.com, USACE, NOAA, Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America, Tracy Hilburn and Local Knowledge

Tom M.