UPDATE: Closure of flooded Calcasieu River, from Saltwater Barrier to Parish line

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - On Saturday evening, the Calcasieu Police Jury closed the flooded Calcasieu River to private boat traffic north of the Saltwater Barrier, up to the Parish line.

The Police Jury closed the river - flooded after recent storms in Southwest Louisiana - after receiving numerous complaints from riverside property owners, who worry that the wakes of passing boats could damage their homes, said Dick Gremillion, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness for Calcasieu Parish.

The river will remain closed to private boat traffic until water levels drop to normal levels, which might be the middle of next week, Gremillion said.

Commercial traffic, however, will continue moving along the otherwise closed section of the river, as the U.S. Coast Guard controls commercial boat traffic on the waterway, said Gremillion.

On Sunday, Parish officials also announced the closure of numerous boat launches in Calcasieu. They include: