ST. MARTIN PARISH — A state-backed river diversion project intended to restore the Atchafalaya Basin is facing growing opposition from environmental advocates and fishermen who fear it could lead to widespread flooding and ecological damage.
The East Grand Lake Ecological Enhancement Project, approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and proposed by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, aims to divert sediment-filled water from the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Sorrel through 12 engineered cuts into nearby cypress swamps.But critics argue the plan could do irreversible harm.
“It’s very troubling that the state of Louisiana is moving that way, and they’re determined to move forward with this project and we’re gonna do what we can to stop it,” said Dean Wilson, executive director of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper organization.
Wilson is part of a coalition of groups that filed a lawsuit in May 2024 challenging the Corps’ approval of the project. At issue is the fear that pushing additional sediment into the Basin will clog natural waterways, diminish the region’s flood protection capacity, and threaten both wildlife and nearby communities.
“If the levee fails in the western part, that flood will flood parts of Lafayette, and if the flood is higher, most of Lafayette will go underwater,” Wilson said. “So that’s the terrible position they put on all of us by filling the spillway.”
“We never fought anything that threatened our future more than this,” he added. “If you fill the spillway with sand, you cannot survive here. If the levees fail—in 1927 when they built the levees, that flood of '27, the water reached all the way to Lafayette. And you think you’re not at risk? And that’s not the biggest flood that we can get.”
Local fishermen share his concerns, pointing to mounting signs that the Basin is already struggling. Jessie Reece, a crawfisherman who works the waters around Butte La Rose, described a swamp in decline.
“It used to be a lot more beautiful. Now it’s getting to the point where everything is starting to back up. You can see it on the water—all the trash is coming out the woods, all the trees are really starting to die,” Reece said.
He believes the state should prioritize cleaning up and restoring the flow of water in the existing Basin. “To be honest, I think they should come and start removing a lot of these old stumps that’s in the middle of the public waterways... If the Basin was a better flowing place and it wasn’t choked up and overgrown... it’d be a lot better fishing and a lot better everything,” Reece said.
The St. Martin Parish Council has already passed a resolution opposing the project and is expected to vote on June 2 on whether to support the lawsuit through an amicus brief.
