LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Flooding has been a chronic problem in some areas of Calcasieu parish, but a drainage project finished today might change that.

The Louisiana Avenue Detention Basin is a picturesque place with benches, landscaping, and a three-quarter-mile walking path along with ornamental lighting. However, it’s not just for recreation. It will also hold excess water from Contraband Bayou during heavy rains.

“It will hold about 60 million gallons. It’ll hold about seven and a half football fields full of water one foot deep,” Jennifer Hobbs, the project’s Drainage Engineer said. “Some residents who have suffered through years of street flooding and even water in their homes have already noticed an improvement.”

Calcasieu Parish Engineer Nicholas Johnson said the basin was designed to manage a rain event such as the May 2021 floods.

“It will pull water from the streets rather than have it overflow the Contraband Bayou over people’s yards and into the streets,” Johnson said.

Not only is this detention basin going to take a lot of water off the streets, but it’s also going to create recreational opportunities for people.

“We planted a bunch of wetlands to attract native species so there will be more cool stuff to look at,” Hobbs said. “It’s good for water quality as well. If you’re able to go from the Contraband Bayou side it’s a little bit darker, murkier water. You’ll see it’s a lot clearer right here because of the way we built the basin.”

At least four more basins are planned in other areas of Calcasieu Parish.

An alligator was already spotted in the basin so there’s no swimming. The public can visit the facility from dawn to dusk. Parish officials say people in the neighborhood have been anxiously awaiting the opening.

For more details about the project, click HERE .