About Us

The primary mission of the Lafourche Basin Levee District is to provide flood protection for parishes within its jurisdiction by preserving the integrity of the levee systems that it maintains. The LBLD jurisdiction includes all or part of Ascension, Assumption, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist Parishes.

The LBLD maintains Mississippi River levees in coordination with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and in accordance with their requirements. It also maintains St. Charles Parish hurricane levees east of the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion and is the local sponsor and driving leader for the Upper Barataria Risk Reduction Project.

Our Mission

The mission of the Lafourche Basin Levee District is to provide flood protection from potential flooding from the Mississippi River by preserving the integrity of and maintaining 63 miles of levee from Donaldsonville to Jefferson Parish. In addition, the LBLD works with federal, state, and local partners to advance flood protection projects for communities within its district to ensure residents' safety.

The vision of the Lafourche Basin Levee District is to be the regional authority and leader on storm and flood protection for the residents of its district by maintaining existing levees and flood reduction structures while taking advantage of new opportunities, and planning for emerging challenges.

Our Vision

History

The Lafourche Basin Levee District was established in 1892 with the mission of preventing flooding from the Mississippi River along 63 miles from Donaldsonville to Jefferson Parish. Man made levee systems are crucial to managing the Mississippi River. There is no entity solely responsible for levee construction and maintenance in Louisiana. It is a shared responsibility between Louisiana levee districts, and federal and state partners.

The Mississippi River levees are designed to protect against flooding by confining flow to the leveed channel. The levees are constructed by the federal government and are maintained by local interests, except for government assistance as necessary during major floods.

Periodic inspections of maintenance are made by personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and LBLD as it is essential that the levees be maintained in good condition for their proper functioning in the flood control plan.

From its inception in 1892, LBLD has met this mission, protecting the residents of Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche, St. James, St. John the Baptist, and St. Charles Parishes by maintaining the Mississippi River levee, preventing catastrophic flooding and drainage disasters. This primary mission of flood protection includes hurricane protection and coastal restoration. Levee districts play a critical role in safeguarding communities from flooding by constructing and maintaining levees and other flood control infrastructure.