BATON ROUGE — The Amite River Basin Commission says that it has acquired a sand and gravel mine that will be restored and repurposed as part of a major flood risk reduction initiative in the Amite River Basin.

The commission says this is a major step in ongoing efforts to improve flood resilience while restoring natural landscapes.

The ARBC added that the site will be transformed into a restored floodplain and water storage area designed to capture and slow stormwater, which is expected to reduce downstream flood pressures.

Located in the Upper Amite River Basin, the former gravel mine is part of ARBC's multi-project approach, which includes $428.8 million dedicated to transformational and regional projects.

These projects include a new $40 million river pump in Ascension Parish, a $30 million project in Bayou Manchac, the $20 million Lower Amite Channel Restoration project in Livingston Parish and the $69 million Upper Amite River Basin Restoration project in East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston and St. Helena parishes. 

Various other projects, costing a total of $259.8 million, are also in various stages of development, officials noted.