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MONROE, La. (KNOE 8 News) - The look of the Ouachita River may be changing if government leaders have their way. The army corps of engineers is ordering a take down of all trees within 15 feet of a levee.
    
"I'm concerned with the cost of taking down all these trees as well as taking down these beautiful trees that lasted a hundred years," Monroe Resident H. M Butler said.

Butler along with others are not giving the chopping orders a thumbs up in a KEDM public radio forum at Jeff's Place.
     
"The Ouachita isn't supported by the Corps of Engineers funding and yet their saying spend money on cutting trees, it doesn't make sense," Butler said.

In order for the levee system to keep it's certification, the feds say the trees must come down. They believe the roots may pose a problem, especially during heavy rainfall and flooding. But locals are saying that's simply not true.
     
"They're thinking about eliminating all that beauty just because someone came up with the idea that a tree might fall on the levee," Glenn Gore said.

Gore is with the Ouachita River Foundation.

The feds are facing the heat from homeowners not just at the price tag of the project, but they're saying they don't want to foot the bill.

"In may cases it's going to cost millions of dollars, it's not coming out of the corps budget it's coming out of local taxpayers pockets," John Stringer said.

Stringer is the Executive Director of the Tensas Basin Levee District.

If the levee gets stripped of its certification, then homeowners say they'll come out of pocket paying more on flood insurance.