West Monroe/Monroe -How's the river? (Sun: homes, neighborhoods, live in)

[blu banks]

Hows the flood stage on the Ouachita on this fine Sunday evening in April?Are yall flooding in Ouachita or in any other parishes?

[Louisiana'sLegend2]

The river never floods, it rises prolly 3 times a years, floods about every 25 years maybe? Only one close call in my life time and around that age.

[al_roethlisberger]

Well, just to be clear, never say "never"

It clearly remember helping Monroe residents sandbag their homes in 1991, and the Ouachita(Lea Joyner) Bridge having to have planks, sealed with tar and backed with sandbags, affixed to the inside of the railings about 20 feet up the bridge on both sides. So effectively one was driving under the flood peak waters when first entering/exiting the bridge. It was a bit disconcerting.

Due to the flood walls and levees on both sides of the river, downtown Monroe and adjacent neighborhoods were spared, but a lot of other communities up and downstream were flooded, as well as neighborhoods along floodplain and bayous that tied into the Ouachita system.

Some more info on Ouachita Parish flooding:

Ouachita Parish Police Jury


That being said, I agree that it has been many decades since Monroe and West Monroe's downtown/core area has suffered from flooding from the river.

But in some years, like 1991, the river came within inches of the tops of the levees. So it is a possibility one should be aware of.

My parents just live 3 blocks from the river, so it is always something to keep in mind, but not dwell upon.

Al

[ahruss23]

Yeah, the River does flood. Just ask the farmers with land around the river or those who live in River Oaks...