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Answers demanded from residents of Gibson and surrounding communities plagued by recent floods will be supplied Wednesday during a special meeting at the Bayou Black Recreation Center, officials have announced.
The Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government plans a detailed discussion of projects they hope will relieve the area of its flooding woes. The presentation will start at 6 p.m.
“You will learn the plan that we have to improve drainage and also learn the challenge that we face in doing so,” said Parish Councilman Darrin Guidry, one of the organizers.
Guidry will join council members Arlanda Williams and Al Marmande as well as Parish President Gordon Dove at the session, which they hope will de-mystify some of the problems related to recent flooding. The meeting will also allow for community feedback, which can be given directly to administration officials charged with solving the problem.
The flooding has affected both the Bayou Black area and properties and highway at Savanne Road. It has been particularly galling because it occurs even as officials tout the virtues of flood and storm control projects in various parts of Terrebonne Parish.
Increasingly, and sometimes without a precipitating weather event, Bayou Black’s water has risen considerably, creating hardship for residents and businesses.
Officials note that the high water is not from the Gul of Mexico or other bodies of water that affect the rest of the parish. Rather, it is the result of drainage from other areas of the state that finds itself in the Gibson area.
“North of Baton Rouge, east of the Atcahfalaya levees and west of La. 1, that entire area has to drain through Terrebonne parish,” said Guidry.
Simple solutions proposed have included construction of levees between sources of water and residential property. But Guidry and other officials warn that doing so can result in scrutiny from the Army Corps of Engineers that would cause portions of private properties to be officially designated as wetlands, which could have negative consequences.
“The residents are coming up with common sense solutions however because of regulatory issues in dealing with wetlands and constraints that we have, they are problematic,” Guidry said.
Strategically placed pump stations will provide solutions without regulatory headaches, officials have said, and they hope to discuss the specifics with residents at the Wednesday meeting.
