Since 1973, local governments in St. Mary, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Assumption, and Iberville Parishes have utilized a temporary flood protection solution on four separate occasions in Bayou Chene, located below Morgan City, to prevent Atchafalaya River backwater flooding and strong storm surges from impacting their communities. The costly, short-term solution involved sinking a large river barge across the channel to prevent flooding for thousands of residents. This method cost between $5 to $8 million and took around 10 days to install. Local leadership utilized Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funding for construction of a permanent flood control structure across Bayou Chene, which began in May 2020.

CPRA and the St. Mary Levee District held a ribbon cutting to celebrate completion of the Bayou Chene Floodgate on April 29, 2022. The permanent 446-foot floodgate structure can close within a few hours and provides greater, more reliable protection to thousands of residents.