Central Metro Councilman says clearing and snagging Comite to happen soon

Central Metro Councilman says clearing and snagging Comite happening soon
Published: Nov. 19, 2021 at 6:21 PM CST|Updated: Nov. 19, 2021 at 6:25 PM CST

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) -With every passing storm more debris falls into the Comite River.

“We’re not just talking about regular small limbs and stuff you find in your yard,” Andrew Moak, Metro Councilman for Central, said. “We’re talking about tree trunks and everything that fell into the river.”

For years, homeowners along the river like Stanley Fussell have said the buildup of debris has largely been unaddressed for decades. Fussell said concerns about flooding have now overflowed and he wants answers as to when it will be cleared and snagged.

“There hasn’t, to my knowledge been any major work done on that river since 1964,” Fussell said.

Moak said starting next month work will begin on the river to study which areas need to be cleared.

“Hopefully by middle, the end of 22, we’ll start seeing people in the ground clearing debris and everything out of the river, which will coincide with the opening of the Comite River Diversion Canal as well,” Moak said. “So hopefully all of this will come together at the same time.”

Moak said once the study is finished he expects funding to be quickly secured and work to begin by the end of the year.

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