BATON ROUGE - As the City Lakes reconstruction project continues, leaders anticipate how Francine may disrupt progress and affect those living along the water’s edge.

City-Parish Director of Transportation and Drainage Fred Raiford says the water level is high at the moment. When the storm makes landfall, the lakes overflowing could create problems for transportation and drainage.

"If you get a lot of rain then it's going to ultimately end up in the streets, and that's not what we want to have," Raiford said.

To bring the lake levels down, the City-Parish used the gates at the weir on Stanford Avenue. Weirs are barriers built across waterways, and they can be used to control water levels. When the concrete walls open, water flows through.

“When you have some basic infrastructure that allows you that flexibility, we certainly want to take advantage,” Raiford said.

The City-Parish started draining on Monday and Raiford says they should be done no later than Tuesday morning