Drainage in Lafourche District 6 postponed – again

The Lafourche Parish Council voted to postpone a measure that would bring a greater degree of drainage to the La. Highway 308 side of District 6 in the Central Lafourche area last Tuesday.

The proposed agreement between Lafourche Parish Government and Arlen “Benny” Cenac would have given the parish permission to perform levee and drainage work on the portion of Company Canal falling within Cenac’s property.

Councilman Lindel Toups would like to defer the vote until after Attorney General James “Buddy” Caldwell submits his report on the ownership of Company Canal.

Last week was the fifth time the council had the option to vote to approve the servitude agreement.

Toups added the report should be completed by the end of May, but Parish President Charlotte Randolph feels the contents of this report are separate from the issue of drainage.

“Drainage is what we talk about all the time. It’s what we strive for all the time. It’s one of those issues that has to be separated from everything else,” said Randolph. “We’ve delayed taking action on this because of an issue that is separate from this issue. It is essential that we have drainage in this area.”

The current agreement would bring drainage to citizens from Valentine to Lockport, and Randolph said the state had granted Lafourche Parish a $1 million grant to build a pump station on the south side of Company Canal.

But the current agreement between Cenac and Lafourche Parish requires that the parish acknowledge Company Canal as a private waterway owned by Cenac, rededicates public use of the portion of Highway 654 from Company Canal to his property and rededicates public use of the “Post Office Road” or any other road previously claimed by Lafourche located on his property.

Councilman Rodney Doucet said he would not vote for the ordinance as long as those stipulations are included in the agreement.

“I think a bunch of councilmen would consider it if you pulled out stating the Company Canal is private, if you pulled out saying the streets are private,” he said. “If he agrees to that, than maybe we can get some drainage.”

Randolph stated agreeing in writing that Company Canal is a privately owned waterway would only be agreeing with the law of the land.

“Unless and until the Supreme Court changes that decision, it’s the decision we have to abide by,” said Randolph. “Cenac has the right to give us this servitude and, if anything changes, so what? We will have had two years of drainage and then, if someone decides we should do it another way, we haven’t lost drainage.”

The parish and Cenac have resumed negotiations on the wording of the servitude agreement, and according to councilmen the Attorney General’s report should be completed and available by the first meeting in June.

Aerial shot of Company Canal in Lafourche Parish District 6. It is currently not being utilized to provide drainage for citizens from Lockport to Valentine. * Photo courtesy of LAFOURCHE PARISH GOVERNMENT