Levee District awards Bayou Chene contract, hears about sugar cane flooding

The St. Mary Parish Levee District awarded a contract for one of the four major parts of the Bayou Chene Flood Control Project on Thursday and heard one of the district board's members ask for help with flooding damage to the sugar cane crop on the other end of the parish.

At its monthly meeting, conducted by teleconference, the Levee District board accepted the bid by Rigid Constructors of Lafayette for Phase 4A of the Bayou Chene work. Phase 4 involves construction of a levee along the Tabor Canal. The 4A portion for which the bid was awarded is for raising the Avoca Island Road.

The bid award was for $5,348,628.50.

When complete, the Bayou Chene project will consist of a structure on the bayou with a gate that can be moved into place to block backwater flooding when the Atchafalaya River runs high. The $80 million project, funded through the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, will eliminate the costly need to sink a barge in the bayou to protect property in east St. Mary, lower St. Martin and surrounding parishes.

The Levee District staff reported that the dredging required for the first phase of the work is 90% complete. Sealevel Construction Inc. of Thibodaux, the contractor for the receiving structure and the gate, is driving piles for the structure.

Also Thursday, during a report on levees in the Charenton area and canals south of U.S. 90, board member Will Terry made a plea for Levee District assistance with drainage, even though Terry acknowledged that additional legislation may be required to allow it.

Terry said unprotected land used for sugar cane production has been vulnerable to flooding during hurricanes like Laura.

"It always has," Terry said. "It has since Hurricane Audrey."

Audrey came ashore in June 1957 in the same area where Laura made landfall Aug. 27.

"We need some help," Terry said. "We're paying a tax, and we expect something for our tax dollars."

St. Mary Parish is already suffering from a slowdown in energy industry activity in this region and doesn't need damage to sugar cane, another economic asset here, Terry said.

"Killing another major industry in St. Mary Parish -- what's going to happen then?" Terry asked.

Board Chairman Bill Hidalgo said he'd ask for information about what would be required to get involved with drainage in that area.

Also Thursday:

--The board heard that preliminary work continues on the Morgan City levee improvement project.The biggest remaining piece is construction of a levee between Lake Palourde and the area from Lake End Park to Siracusaville, including the portion that will protect Lakeside Subdivision.

The staff reported that a hydrographic survey is complete, and a topographic survey is nearly done. A right of way survey is also underway.

--The board heard that the Bayou Teche Flood Control Project is on course to be complete in November. The project near Baldwin is designed to prevent storm surge flooding by way of the Charenton Canal in the Franklin, Garden City and Centerville area. Most of the $11 million project is being funded with a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development grant.

Chariman Hidalgo said he toured the site.

"It's going well," Hidalgo said. "Bayou Teche looks awesome, very robust."