H-3 hits pipeline snag

The Terrebonne Parish Levee and Conservation District is facing a few minor delays with the construction of their interim levee system that it is building along the alignment of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system.

There is currently some trouble with a Gulf South oil pipeline that needs to be moved in order to finish construction on Reach H-3 south of Chauvin.

The oil pipeline does not fit directly into the footprint of the levee, so the levee district cannot simply appropriate the land as it could for a levee.

“This is just a normal judicial procedure when a company needs to get rights of way. You may have dozens of dozens of heirs for a piece of property,” said Reggie Dupre, executive director of the levee district.

Much of the construction on Reach H-3 has already been constructed, and crews are waiting for right of way clearance to finish the interim levee.

There may also be trouble in the future for Reach G involving a campsite development in the Four Point area of Dulac. Harry Bourg Corporation, a local group that manages 15,000 acres of land for outdoor activities and oil exploration has recently received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge a silted canal for a campsite development project, according to Cyrus Theriot, of Bourg Corp.

“If it’s a navigable bayou we’re going to be obligated to provide access,” said Dupre. “That’s going to require a navigable gate,” said Dupre, who estimated that would cost the district “no less than $4 to $5 million.”

Adding a navigable gate to the plan may require the Army Corps of Engineers to reengineer that part of the levee and cause further delays.

According to Dupre, Reach G’s interim levee is not slated for construction until roughly 2013, so major delays in the levee process may be avoidable.