Corps to add segment lifts, erosion barriers to South Lafourche levees

With some $4 million directed to the South Lafourche Levee District in the last of the supplemental appropriation bills passed by Congress in the wake of last year’s hurricanes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have work slated to begin soon to raise portions of the ring levee system in the area with federal dollars.

The Corps is expected to begin work early next year on the “D North” section of levee, which is located between Breton Canal to just south of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) facility on the east side of Bayou Lafourche. Work within this segment will take place on a 2.5-mile stretch that calls for raising the levee some two to three feet, back to its design level of 12 feet.

Work by the Corps is also slated to begin soon on the “C North” section, which runs from the upper Cut Off area to Larose on the west side of Bayou Lafourche. This three-mile segment will be returned its original height of 10 feet.

Work on both of these segments is expected to take about a year to complete.

Finally, the Corps is also expected to undertake a six month project beginning early next year to upgrade the berms of the levee on the “D South” section, which runs from Yankee Canal north to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) facility on the east side of the bayou. Improvements to this section of levee will consist of placing plastic sheet piles along with rocks on the outside of the levee base to prevent erosion caused by the lapping of water.

“Every bit of work that improves our system helps,” said Windell Curole, general manager of the levee district. “We will continue to seek out state and federal funding to improve our ability to protect the community from future floods and storm surges.”