Balancing Water



Jefferson Parish has more water area than land area. From Lake Pontchartrain down to the Gulf of Mexico and everywhere in between, bodies of water are interwoven throughout the parish.

Jefferson Parish uses drainage canals and pumping stations to remove stormwater quickly to protect you and the area from flooding. While this measure helps keep the land dry, it prevents the soil from getting wet. The soil then shrivels up like a dried sponge, causing the land to shift and subside. The subsidence rate in Jefferson Parish is one of the highest in the world due to the lack of water in the ground.

Our office created the “Balancing Water” Campaign to rethink how Jefferson Parish deals with stormwater and combats subsidence. One of the ideas of Balancing Water is to modify the drainage system slightly so that it balances the storage of stormwater with the pumping of stormwater. The parish wants its citizens to know that it is okay for the water to linger for just a bit before it gets pumped out. Water needs to soak into the ground and fill the soil with moisture so that the ground stays plump like a wet sponge. Thus, slowing down the rate at which the land subsides.

The pages in this section illustrate how the Balancing Water Campaign is being implemented throughout the parish.

2021 Watershed Management Plan