YOUNGSVILLE, La. — On the anniversary of the August 2016 floods that left more than 600 homes in the city flooded, Mayor Ken Ritter and other city officials decided from that devastating day to make massive improvements to the drainage problem and to be better prepared for the next heavy rain.
A ribbon ceremony celebrated the completion of 660 acres of retention ponds that will help to alleviate and be able to store storm water that could cause damage to residences.
"It's a significant amount of water that lowers the opportunity for it to enter homes and also off of our busiest roads so that way during heavy rain events," says Mayor Ritter.
Ritter, since that dark day in August, hopes that these retention ponds will help avoid future disasters and help to inspire other drainage projects to be built in Southwest Louisiana.
"What these seven ponds do is lower the base flood elevation by a foot so the reason that is so impactful is because when you think about how much people flooded back in 2016 and since then, it's largely been by a couple inches so this has tremendous benefit for our community and neighbors down stream."
The ponds are completely funded through FEMA and other state agencies.
The city also has plans in the future, to use the ponds for recreational purposes in Youngsville.
