Highlights

• Lafayette Consolidated Government proposes $649,000 for Downtown Johnston Drainage infrastructure improvements
• New $250,000 Flash Flood Plan represents the first dedicated emergency flooding response budget
• Parish-wide drainage maintenance receives $1.04 million allocation, matching previous year's commitment
• Total drainage-related spending approaches $3 million as LCG shifts infrastructure priorities toward flood prevention
• Johnston Street modernization project includes subsurface water storage capacity to address downtown's "bowl effect"

Lafayette Plans Major Investment in Flood Prevention: Here's How Much the City Is Spending on Drainage

The proposed 2025-2026 budget includes nearly $3 million in drainage and flood mitigation projects, with downtown flooding solutions taking center stage

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — According to documents released this week, Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) is planning to spend $2.89 million on drainage and flood prevention in its proposed 2025-2026 budget, with Downtown Lafayette flooding getting the largest share of new funding.

According to The Advocate, downtown residents and business owners called for action after an April flash flood overwhelmed new drainage infrastructure at Lee Avenue. The flooding hit Pop's Poboys, Carpe Diem and other downtown businesses.

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Downtown Johnston Drainage Gets $649,000

The budget includes $649,000 for Downtown Johnston Drainage improvements. Mayor-President Monique Boulet's administration wants to add subsurface drainage to Johnston Street as part of the street modernization project. The administration is analyzing Johnston Street, which has no subsurface drainage and drains into downtown during heavy rain.

READ MORE: Video Shows Major Flooding in Some Parts of Downtown Lafayette

Downtown Development Authority CEO Kevin Blanchard explains the problem. According to KATC, "We have a bottleneck, and downtown is a bowl, and so, how do we store that water so it doesn't get into people's businesses? The best place to do that is under our public infrastructure—under our streets, under our parks."

Flash Flood Plan Gets First-Ever Budget

Lafayette will spend $250,000 on a Flash Flood Plan. This marks the first time the city has budgeted for emergency flooding response.

Early modeling by Southeastern Engineers shows subsurface storage under Johnston Street could handle 20 to 30 percent of water entering downtown. The Flash Flood Plan will support rapid response when severe weather overwhelms existing infrastructure.

Parish Drainage Gets $2 Million

Beyond downtown projects, LCG will spend $1.04 million on parish-wide roadside excavation and maintenance. Another $950,000 goes to coulee maintenance throughout Lafayette Parish.

These amounts match last year's funding, showing LCG treats drainage as a parish-wide problem requiring steady investment.

Infrastructure Money Shifts to Flood Prevention

Drainage investments come as other infrastructure spending drops. The Road & Bridge Fund falls from $18.3 million to $5.75 million, while flood prevention gets increased attention.

The Johnston Street infrastructure project gets $975,000, with drainage improvements built into the street work. This approach learns from previous drainage-only projects that failed to prevent flooding during severe weather.

Community Pushes for Action

The Downtown Development Authority held meetings with community members to discuss protecting downtown from flooding. According to KATC, Blanchard said "over the years, while the rest of the city has grown and everything else, there's been a lot more pressure on our drainage system, not just for downtown but for all the old areas of town."

Lafayette spent over $100 million on drainage from 2020 to 2024, plus more on Vermilion River dredging, but flooding continued. According to The Advocate, the current budget takes a different approach, focusing on water storage and subsurface infrastructure instead of traditional drainage expansion.

Implementation Takes Years

Blanchard estimates these plans will take five to 10 years to complete. The 2025-2026 budget starts the first phase of this timeline.

The Lafayette City-Parish Council must approve the budget. Public hearings and council deliberations will determine final funding.

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How much can the weather impact us in Lafayette and Louisiana? Here's a look at some of the worst storms we've seen.