About Us & History
A legacy of flood protection, stewardship, and service across South Louisiana.
1. About the District
Atchafalaya Basin Levee District was created in 1890 by Act No. 97 of the Louisiana Legislature.
The district is composed of the Parishes of Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge and part of the parishes of Iberville, Ascension, Assumption, St. Martin, Iberia and St. Landry.
Domiciled in Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, the Board consists of 13 members, representing 8 parishes, as follows: 1 from Ascension, 1 from Assumption, 1 from Iberia, 3 from Iberville, 2 from Pointe Coupee, 1 from St. Landry, 2 from St. Martin, and 2 from West Baton Rouge.
Land area within the district is approximately 1,700,000 acres. All of the Morganza Floodway and the major portion of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway is located within the district.
This is one of the largest Levee Districts in the State, with a total of 327.1 miles of levee in the District. This system consists of levees on the Mississippi River, East and West Atchafalaya River, Morganza Lower Guide, and East and West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levees.
This political sub-division is charged with the obligations of securing and clearing interfering facilities for rights-of-way for levee and levee drainage purposes, levee maintenance, borrow pit drainage, and oil, gas, mineral, campsite, hunting and other leases.
1890
Created
13
Board Members
8
Parishes Represented
327.1
Miles of Levee
2. Atchafalaya Basin Levee System
The levee system consists of the following reaches of main river and floodway levees:
1
Levee along the south and west banks of Lower Old River and Mississippi River from Barbre Landing in Pointe Coupee Parish to Bayou Lafourche at Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish. Length: 110.4 miles including 1.2 miles of spur dikes and the 3,906 foot length of the Morganza Control Structure.
2
The Upper Morganza Floodway Levee From Lacour on the West Mississippi River Levee to the Atchafalaya River Levee above Red Cross, Pointe Coupee Parish. Length: 12.0 miles including 3.0 miles, which is a part to the main line levee at Morganza Control Structure.
3
The Lower Morganza Floodway Levee and the East Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee extending from the West Mississippi River Levee at Morganza, Pointe Coupee Parish, along the east side of the Atchafalaya Basin to the St. Martin/St. Mary parish line at Lake Palured. Length: 88.2 miles.
4
The West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee from Bayou Courtableau in St. Landry Parish along the west side of the Atchafalaya Basin to the St. Mary/Iberia parish line at Lake Fausse Pointe. Length: 49.6 miles.
5
The East Atchafalaya River Levee from Barbre Landing in Pointe Coupee Parish to a point about one and one-half miles above the head of Whiskey Bay Pilot Channel in St. Martin Parish. Length: 51.1 miles.
6
The West Atchafalaya River Levee from Bayou Courtableau in St. Landry Parish to a point below Butte LaRose settlement in St. Martin Parish. Length: 18.0 miles.
3. Principal Flood Control & Navigation Structures
- Morganza Control Structure
- Pointe Coupee Drainage Structure
- Bayou Courtableau East and West Weirs
- Bayou Courtableau Floodgate
- Port Allen Lock
- Plaquemine Lock (not in operation)
- Bayou Sorrel Lock
- Henderson Lake Control Structure