Gov. John Bel Edwards met with Baton Rouge area leaders to discuss updates on the University Lakes Restoration Project Monday. Edwards announced that work to restore the six lakes around LSU campus will begin this summer, and some restoration efforts will be completed in December.
“I don’t think you need me to tell you that the lakes have lost their luster a little bit,” Edwards said.
The university lakes have not been maintained and have become too shallow. Work to restore the lakes would improve detention, retention and flooding control abilities, benefit wildlife and make the lakes more beautiful, Edwards said.
Edwards said that the first phase of restoration has been fully funded and will begin this summer.
“We are not going to let any more time than necessary get away from us,” Edwards said.
Mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome emphasized the planned accessibility improvement areas surrounding the lakes. There will be new paths for pedestrians and cyclists along the new shoreline, Broome said, and more ways for the surrounding communities to access the lakes.
“The lakes are an enormous cultural asset for this community, and this project will maximize their impact,” Broome said.
The project is a result of collaboration between LSU, the governor’s office, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and BREC.
The mayor-president said her administration has committed $5 million to the project.
The Superintendent of Baton Rouge Parks and Recreation, Corey Wilson, said that specific lakes that will be dredged and deepened are City Park Lake, Erie Lake, College Lake and Campus Lake. Material dredged from the lakes will be used to construct a “foundation of living shorelines” that will help manage storm water as it enters the lakes, Wilson said.
Lake control structures will be improved to increase flood storage capacity. City Park Lake and University Lake will be hydraulically connected. Other planned infrastructure improvements include the reorganizing of dangerous intersections, providing a dedicated pass for pedestrians and cyclists and the construction of a new May street bridge, Wilson said.
Phase one of the restoration is planned to be completed by December 2023.
Chairman of the LSU board of supervisors Rémy Starns said he hopes the University Lakes Restoration Project will serve as a template for other projects planned across LSU campuses throughout the state.
LSU President William F. Tate IV, who introduced the conference, spoke to the importance of the university lakes to LSU and the greater Baton Rouge community.
“We want to make sure the community has access to a wonderful asset, like a beautiful lake community,” Tate said.
(From left) Baton Rouge Area Foundation CEO, Chris Meyer; LSU board of supervisors chairman, Rémy Starns; Governor John Bel Edwards; Mayor-president Sharon Weston Broome; LSU president William F. Tate IV; BREC superintendent, Corey Wilson.
