POINTE COUPEE - Later this year, a roughly $5.5 million project to clean out the Bayou Grosse Tete and Bayou Cholpe will begin in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Parish officials call it one of the most significant drainage projects in parish history.

According to Pointe Coupee Parish President Major Thibaut, the parish is essentially split in two when it comes to how it drains.

The bottom portion of our parish, or the bottom 2/3's in some way or another ends up draining through Bayou Grosse Tete and Bayou Cholpe," Thibaut said.

The best way to look at the importance of the Bayou Grosse Tete and Bayou Cholpe is by looking at the map below:

The Portage Canal and Lighthouse Canal, which are the two blue lines, make their way into the big red line, which is the Bayou Grosse Tete and the Bayou Cholpe. The project will clean out the Bayou Grosse Tete and the Bayou Cholpe to the parish line.

"These two water outlets, there's been no significant maintenance or cleaning for probably around 25 years plus," Thibaut said.

The project will include clearing and snagging alongside removing fallen trees, logs, storm debris, woody vegetation and other debris. It will do this for approximately 14 and a half miles of the Grosse Tete and nearly three and a half miles of the Cholpe in Point Coupee Parish.

Pointe Coupee residents will see heavy equipment moving trees, dredging, and barges loading and hauling away debris.

"This project is absolutely important in cleaning out those waterways to allow our water to drain properly, more efficiently, and protect our citizens," Thibaut said.

The funds for this project came from the state legislature.

"Senator Kleinpeter and Representative LaCombe, they know the sentiments of how important drainage is to this area so they were able to help secure that funding," Thibaut said.

According to Parish President Thibaut and the map, this project targets the red, green, and purple lines. This is actually phase one of a two-part project.

Thibaut says the first dirt will be turned on phase one in about three to five months. Once it gets underway, he expects this stage to take about nine to 12 months.

"We'll start advertising here in the next few weeks. Putting it out for bid, and then in a couple, two to three months we'll accept the lowest bid and then we'll go from there," Thibaut said.

Phase two will continue the project south through West Baton Rouge and Iberville parishes. It is in partnership with the Upper Delta Soil and Conservation District, with a cost of around $10 million.