Talks continue on relocating on Laf. saltwater barrier

No decision was made on the new location of the Company Canal Saltwater Control Structure during Thursday’s town hall meeting at the Mathews Government Complex. Another meeting was tentatively scheduled for next week, but as of press time, a date and time had not been specified.

“With the loss of land, the threat of saltwater is becoming more frequent,” Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said. “It’s time to move it.”

Randolph said the parish received a $4 million state grant in 2007 to construct a new structure. If the Company Canal barge is moved and used in a new location, the full allotment would not be used, Randolph said.

Randolph said she initiated contact with the state to see if the parish would keep the remaining money, but she seemed skeptical that would be permitted.

One option is to move the structure south of the T-Bois Bridge in Larose. This idea generated in 2007 before Hurricane Gustav derailed the plans in 2008.

The parish president said the original motivation was to protect Valentine Paper, which was forced cease operations for one week in 2007 due to saltwater intrusion. However, Valentine Paper has since shut down.

Engineers, waterway experts and various other stakeholders attended the meeting.

Conversation evolved into finding a way to incorporate the saltwater barrier into the parish’s flood protection plans if the barrier can serve both needs, and the agreement was reached that another meeting be rescheduled so they could research the possibility.