LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers has refurbished the gates at a 52-year-old saltwater barrier in Louisiana, but tells boaters that some work remains.
It says that means it will have to close the Calcasieu Saltwater Barrier gates intermittently during the day, sometimes causing backups for boaters in the Lake Charles area.
The work is expected to last until July 27, according to a news release.
The gates are used mainly by recreational boaters, Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett said in an email.
The barrier was built after the channel for the Port of Lake Charles was deepened in the early 1950s. The deeper channel increased shipping but let Gulf of Mexico saltwater move inland, damaging wetlands and threatening rice irrigation.
The saltwater barrier was completed in 1968.
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