In additional, a large area of the Bayou Henderson Watershed is affected by backwater from the Amite River and is included within the Amite River 100-year floodplain. The entire Bayou Henderson watershed is located within the Mississippi River 500-year floodplain. The elevation of the Bayou Henderson channel ranges from about one meter below sea level near its confluence with the Amite River to approximately 6 meters above sea level at the upstream most reaches on the Marty Burratt drainage ditch. Bayou Henderson has several major tributaries which drain the urbanized areas in the western part of the watershed. From there, Bayou Henderson flows northeast until it discharges into the Amite River. It flows southeast until it crosses Henderson Bayou Road. The main stem of Bayou Henderson is approximately 10 kilometers in length. A map of the Bayou Henderson watershed showing the stream network and land use are provided in Figure 1. The watershed includes agriculture/pastureland, residential, open space and some commercial areas. A little more than one-third of the watershed is developed, while the remainder is open or forested areas. The Bayou Henderson Watershed includes the town of Galvez, Louisiana, and has an area of approximately 3600 hectare. This paper presents the procedures used to develop a strategy to mitigate flooding in the Bayou Henderson watershed in Ascension Parish, Louisiana.

Ascension on the bayou