Slidell Unveils Automated Floodgate and SCADA System to Help Alleviate Flooding

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Slidell Mayor Bill Borchert was joined by Councilman David Dunham (District B), city officials and community leaders for the ribbon cutting of the City’s new Automated Floodgate and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Monitoring System near the Lee Street Drainage Basin. This marks a significant step forward in Slidell’s ongoing commitment to modernizing stormwater infrastructure and protecting residents and businesses from flooding.

Work on the $250,000 project – funded through the Louisiana State Appropriations Budget secured by former Senator Sharon Hewitt – involved retrofitting an existing manual floodgate with a motorized actuator, enabling rapid automatic operation during heavy rain events. In tandem, a SCADA system was installed to give Public Operations staff the ability to remotely monitor and control gate positions in real time, vastly improving response times during storm events. GIS Engineering was the design consultant and Gill’s Crane & Dozer Services was the contractor for this project.

“This ribbon cutting is our second ceremony in just two weeks celebrating stormwater management improvements for our citizens and businesses in south Slidell,” said Mayor Bill Borchert. “We recently broke ground on the new Riecke Retention Pond off Pontchartrain Drive, and today we’re proud to bring this automated floodgate and SCADA system online. I also would like to thank to Senator Hewitt for securing the funding that made this project possible.”

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