BATON ROUGE - State Treasurer John Kennedy has called for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state to make the Comite River Diversion Canal a priority after recent flooding in South Louisiana.

"Once everyone impacted by the floods is safe, we need to sit down and decide how to get this project completed," said Treasurer Kennedy. "This project has been on the drawing board since the last round of devastating flooding in the 1980s. The sad fact is that the flooding this week would not have been as devastating if this diversion canal existed.”

The Treasurer says the Comite River Diversion Canal would connect the Comite River and the Mississippi River, which would in turn alleviate potential future flooding in East Baton Rouge, Ascension and Livingston parishes. Some work has been done on the project, but the biggest components remain incomplete.

"The cost of the Comite River Diversion Canal is minuscule in comparison to the homes - not to mention the precious lives - it will save," said Treasurer Kennedy. "The money that will be spent on flood response and rebuilding is money that should have been spent on protecting our citizens."