News Briefs
February 16, 2016
Roman Antoine Guidry
February 17, 2016
Lafourche Parish is adding a new saltwater control structure in Lockport and a lobbying firm working on its behalf in Baton Rouge.
Though the parish canceled its regular meeting scheduled for Mardi Gras Day, it still held two special meetings last week to vote on those two additions. The council approved both the structure and the addition of a legislative influencer.
The saltwater control structure is replacing the existing model in the Company Canal in Lockport, according to Ben Malbrough, Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District executive director. He said the current model, 13 years old, is not adequate anymore.
“The existing structure was put in place in 2003, and at the time the main threat of saltwater intrusion into the water treatment plant in Lockport was via Company Canal. A lot has changed since then. We’re continuing to lose the battle to saltwater intrusion,” he said.
The new structure will be in Bayou Lafourche, north of the bayou’s intersection with Company Canal. Malbrough said that the new structure could provide stronger saltwater protection and also be closed and act as a weir when needed.
“This structure, if there was ever a major catastrophic event either at the pump station in Donaldsonville or somewhere upstream, then the existing weir, this structure could be closed and act as a weir and act as a reservoir for all the plants that are north of it,” he said.
The project is funded with $4 million in federal funds the parish received through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program. According to Malbrough, the program expires at the end of this year, putting construction of the structure on a tight schedule. All money for CIAP projects must be spent and the projects completed by the time the program expires. Due to this, the director said, the structure’s construction must be done by September to make sure paperwork can be wrapped up in time.
Malbrough said construction is on schedule so far, and the end product will mean good things for multiple parishes reliant on Bayou Lafourche’s water. •
