On a crisp fall morning, the Port of Caddo-Bossier hosted a ceremony to turn the tap on a new $20 million Bossier City waterline.
“It’s just an engineering marvel,” said Eric England, the port’s executive director, during the ceremony on Thursday, November 14.
“Stories will be told about how impressive the engineering and construction was on this project, which involved drilling some 100 feet below the river bottom,” he continued.
Eric England, executive director of the Port of Caddo-Bossier at the New Waterline in Bossier City, Nov. 14, 2024.
Northwest Louisiana’s biggest economic engines kicked off the project in October 2023 that would divert millions of gallons of water from Bossier City to undeveloped parts of the harbor.
“I am proud and excited to witness and celebrate the completion of this waterline project, a project that enabled Bossier City to deliver not only water, but quality water to the Port of Caddo-Bossier,” said Mayor Tommy Chandler.
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According to the port, the new waterline was drilled 100 feet below the Red River and extended from Parkway High School to the port in Caddo Parish.
This completed water line will draw water from Bossier City’s Red River Water Treatment Plant, which was recently upgraded and can process up to 50 million gallons of water per day.
“The Bossier City Council made the right decision to upgrade the city’s water treatment plant,” said Bossier City Councilman David Montgomery. “By providing water to the port tenants, Bossier City will create a new revenue stream for the city.”
The Port of Caddo-Bossier completed the new $20 million Bossier City waterline on November 14, 2024.
The port sits on 4,000 acres of land at the head of the Red River Waterway. It acts as a multimodal transportation and distribution center and currently hosts 17 national and international companies with more than 1,700 employees.
According to a Trade and Industry Development study, every job created at the port is equivalent to four jobs created in neighboring Caddo and Bossier parishes.
This project was financed with a low-interest loan and came within the $20 million budget; the initially expected cost was approximately $35 million.
More: The Port of Caddo-Bossier broke ground on a new project Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter at the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Port of Caddo-Bossier completes new $20 million waterline under Red River
