Jindal gives So. Lafourche Levee District nearly $20M

Efforts to protect coastlines in south Lafourche are making headway, thanks to a little help from Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Without adequate measures of protection, a large portion of south Louisiana could find itself under water during major storms, struggling to stay afloat or even keep its place on the map.

Nearly $20 million in state surplus funds was allocated to the South Lafourche Levee District Thursday during Jindal’s visit, most of which will help improve the Larose to the Golden Meadow levee system that protects communities like Golden Meadow, Galliano and Larose.

A partnership agreement between the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the levee district was signed by the governor and will dedicate funds to the district to make sure improvements are made to hurricane protection systems throughout the area.

“We must continue to be vigilant and make improvements to the structures that protect our homes and our livelihoods,” the governor explained in a news release issued after the event. “This nearly $20 million investment shows our commitment to continue to move forward aggressively to restore our coastal wetlands and barrier islands and build better levee protection for our communities.”

The allocation of funds to the levee district highlights the importance of restoring south Louisiana’s coasts and the continued commitment to investing in and protecting coastal communities, said the governor.

“There are few investments that are more important than restoration and hurricane protection for Louisiana,” he touted. “Protecting our coast means protecting our people, our economy and our future.”

Because of large investments into similar projects, the state is expected to start seeing its lowest rates of land loss since the 1930s. The highest percentage of citizens will also be living and working behind hurricane protection projects, making initiatives of levee boards throughout Louisiana even more important.

However, it’s not only the state and federal governments that are making south Louisiana more resilient. It’s the locals.

“This started with local people making a commitment to build this levee system more than 40 years ago, raising local funds to get this done,” said Jindal.

Since the 1960s about $40 million has been raised by south Lafourche residents.

About $7.5 million is collected yearly, according to Windell Curole, general manager of South Lafourche Levee District.

If it weren’t for combined efforts, the levee system would remain unfinished, added the governor.

“The reality is, we wouldn’t even be here today, except for the leadership of the local community.”

Officials are planning to spend more than $500 million in state and federal funds this year on restoration and protection projects throughout Louisiana, which is more than 10 times the amount spent three years ago. From 2010 to 2013, state coastal planners will spend an estimated $1.5 billion on similar initiatives, according to Jindal.

“In 2009, some of the largest coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects in our state’s history were built. In 2010, we will do even more,” said Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority chairman Garret Graves in the release.

The new partnership agreement will allow the district to make significant improvements to the south Lafourche protection system that was authorized by Congress in 1965, including elevating Highway 1 next to the Leon Theriot Lock, from 12-to-15 feet. Some of the funds will also be used for armoring and overtopping protection near pump stations and raising additional levee heights.

But levees weren’t the only solution hailed at Thursday’s event.

The continued encroachment of the Gulf of Mexico poses a threat to homes, businesses and prime wildlife habitat, said Jindal.

To combat the problem, the governor expressed his desire to restore a large chunk of natural wetlands, which will also help decrease storm surge from offshore hurricanes.

“It’s not about the levee district. It’s not even about levees. It’s about this community,” said Curole.

As efforts continue to push forward on the Larose to the Golden Meadow levee, a number of other projects will join the list in the Lafourche area:

• $31 million is being spent to renovate East Grand Terre Island in the Barataria Basin, where about 620 acres of beach and dunes and 450 acres of marsh will be built.

• $35 million in Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) funds will also help elevate Highway 1, from the Leeville Bridge to Fourchon.

• An estimated 2000 acres of deteriorating marsh in the northern part of Little Lake will use $16 million from the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) and $18 million from CIAP.

• $33 million from CWPPRA will help rebuild about 3,300 feet of beach and dunes west of Belle Pass, which will help provide additional protection to Port Fourchon and surrounding communities.

Gov. Bobby Jindal (far left) signs an agreement with the Lafourche Levee District that will grant nearly $20 million to raise levees across the area. * Photo by MICHAEL DAVIS