(The Center Square) − The $78 million restoration of Baton Rouge’s University Lakes is well underway, with major dredging operations complete on three lakes and work continuing on the largest and most complex sections, according to an official with the LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation.
Rob Stuart, speaking on behalf of the foundation, said in an interview that dredging has been completed at City Park Lake, Lake Erie and College Lake.
“We’re in the middle of working on the biggest lake, which is University Lake. The dredging there is under contract for about 90% of the two connected lakes,” Stuart said.
Work on Campus Lake, which lies entirely on LSU’s campus, is expected to begin soon.
“That dredging is about to be put under contract,” Stuart said.
The entire restoration is estimated to cost around $78 million to $79 million and is fully funded. According to Stewart, the funding comes from a combination of sources: capital outlay dollars, the city-parish, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, Community Development Block Grants, and a newly awarded $14.5 million FEMA grant.
Of the total, $50.7 million has been committed through state capital outlay, including $37.2 million in the 2025 capital budget.
The FEMA grant will support flood risk mitigation work in the Corporate Canal area and complete dredging in smaller sections of University Lake.
Dredging, Stewart explained, is necessary because the lakes have become too shallow over time.
“The fundamental problem is they had gotten very shallow. We’re removing 1.1 million cubic feet of sludge,” Stuart said. “And it all has to go somewhere. It’s really not at all available to haul off. That would be very expensive if you found a place to take it.”
The material, which is not contaminated, is being redeposited in nearby bird sanctuaries and new islands formed within the lake system.
While the project has not faced major setbacks, Stewart noted that some of the removed sediment has taken longer to settle than expected.
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The bulk of the dredging work is expected to wrap up in the first half of 2026, with other infrastructure improvements — such as the May Street Bridge and nearby park redevelopment — scheduled to be completed by August 2026.
“It’s a very complicated project, but overall, it’s going very well,” Stewart said.