Diversion Canal

2365 East Napoleon Street
Sulphur, LA 70663
Phone: (337) 625-9020

The Sabine River Diversion System was established by Acts 90 and 117 of the 1970 Louisiana Legislature. It was developed as part of a program to utilize the waters impounded in the Toledo Bend Reservoir. The system’s purpose is to transport and deliver fresh raw water from the Sabine River to industries in the Lake Charles industrial area, and to supply water for municipal use and agricultural irrigation along its route.

The system includes:

• 35.2 miles of unlined, open-channel canals
• 4.42 miles of underground, cement-coated steel pipelines
• Five (5) constant-level downstream control gates
• Three (3) pumping stations:
  1. Pump Station 1: Located on the Old Sabine River, approximately four miles south of Starks. Contains three pumps, each with a capacity of 50,000 gallons per minute (g.p.m.).
  2. Pump Station 3: Located on Eighth Avenue in the Mossville area. Contains two pumps, each with a capacity of 20,700 g.p.m.
  3. Pump Station 4: Located just north of the Ci-Con Refinery. Contains two pumps, each with a capacity of 19,500 g.p.m.

The system is designed for automatic operation. As water is drawn from the lower reaches, constant-level control gates open to allow water from the upper reaches. When the initial reach level drops, the pumps at Station 1 are activated to draw water from the Old River to replenish the system.

The SRD system has played a critical role in reducing the depletion of groundwater reserves in the Chicot Aquifer. This has supported ongoing industrial, agricultural, and municipal growth in Southwest Louisiana.

In recent years, nearly 20 billion gallons of water have been diverted annually through the SRD system, primarily for industrial use.