St. Tammany’s River Clean Up Project
Hurricane Ida came in and cleared out 3,400 trees that the storm dumped in St. Tammany’s rivers. The St. Tammany Parish government plans to spend 18 months and $12.6 to clear them out. 
Most of the $12.6 will come from a federal grant from the National Resources Conservation Service’s Emergency Watershed Protection Program while the remaining will go to drainage maintenance.
The trees will be removed from 97 miles of waterways which include Abita River, the Tchefuncte River and the Bogue Falaya. Scientists will oversee the tree removal project to ensure the safety of the environment. The project will be in two phases and will meet federal and state environmental guidelines.
“This initiative will not only clear the waterways of downed trees, but will also help to ensure the respective waterways are flowing more efficiently,” Parish President Mike Cooper said.
“I want to personally ensure all citizens that we will exhaust every method to remove the trees safely and preserve the natural beauty of our waterways,” he said.
