T’bonne Parish funding sub-regions for now

As the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system continues to sit in “federal purgatory” like Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District Executive Director Reggie Dupre describes it, Terrebonne Parish is beginning to take steps to work toward the completion of an interim system without federal appropriation.

Dupre said the parish cannot afford to complete the entire Morganza system without federal funding, but he is confident that will come after the federal government re-authorizes the project, as soon as 2014.

“I’m getting a good feeling out of the [U.S. Corps of Engineers],” said Dupre. “I see a great deal of interest in it, and I think we will meet the cost-to-benefit ratio, but it’s all dependant on what kind of appropriations we can get.”

Elaine Starks, the corps’ project manager for the Morganza project, said the corps will attempt to complete its report as much before the December 2012 deadline as possible.

“The sheer size of the project makes it difficult to compress those designs any smaller, but we are always trying to and we want to get it there as quickly as possible,” she said.

Dupre said if all the stars line up, it will take about 20 years to complete Morganza after federal re-authorization.

“Look at how long it took in South Lafourche to build their levees,” said Dupree. “It takes about 20 years for these kinds of federal projects.”

In the meantime, Dupre said the parish is using its own money collected from sales taxes alongside money allocated from the state government to fund the construction of individual sub regions of Morganza until the federal project is re-authorized.

But in order to do so, the levee district must apply for regulatory permits for the individual sub regions and must build them according the Morganza’s federal code.

“Now, the work that we’re doing is going to put us well on the way. We’re building the foundation,” said Dupre. “That’s why the levees we’re building, we’re spending a little extra money following corps standards so that we can get credit, and we’re building the foundations wide enough to come back with a much higher levee on top of that.”

The parish is currently building its levees to an estimated 35-year flood protection standard at an elevation of 10 feet, which could end up being the foundation for the 18-foot levees the corps initially recommend the federal government build in its first report.

“If you combine 35-year level of protection with very improved local parish drainage levees, we think you’re getting close to something that can sustain these coastal communities,” said Dupre.

When the federal government re-authorizes the construction of Morganza, Dupre explained the federal government would fund 65 percent of the project and the local area would be responsible for the other 35 percent of the funding.

When the corps submit their re-authorization report to Congress, they will decide what levee elevation to suggest for Morganza.

“We’ll compare [the prices] to our benefits, and then the alternative between the 35 and the 100 2024,” said Starks. “The one with the highest net benefit will rise to the top as the recommended plan.”

But Dupre believes levees above 10 feet may be too expensive for the state and local taxpayers. Starks said if the corps recommends 100-year protection levees, Terrebonne can submit a locally preferred plan for consideration.

“To get 100-year flood protection, it could run up to 8 billion, and we would have to supply 35 percent eventually,” said Dupre. “A third of 8 billion is about 2.5 billion, and we can’t pass a bond issue or a sales tax big enough to fund that.”

Luckily, local money spent on levees within the Morganza system during the interim could be credited to the 35 percent this area must forge in the future.

“It’s called a credit provision,” said Dupre. “Getting credit on the levee work is sort of a no brainier, although nothing is guaranteed with the feds.”

Dupre said the state’s congressional leaders will need to fight the battle for federal credit in the coming years.

“Ultimately, federal credit has to be in some kind of act of congress,” he said. “So we’re making all of these moves with the full knowledge of our congressional leaders.”

For example, Dupre said Terrebonne Parish should gain $18 million of federal credit for the recently completed sub region J-1, among other regions.

The Boudreaux Canal sector gate on Bayou Petit Caillou in lower Terrebonne Parish is designed to keep storm and tidal surge at bay. Barge gates are planned for construction between now and 2012. * Photo provided by TERREBONNE LEVEE & CONSERVATION DISTRICT