Work completed on 3-mile levee section near Dulac

Work on the 3-mile north section of the levees in Dulac constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers was completed on June 22, corps project manager Sheila McCarthy told the Terrebonne Parish Council last week.

Seeding is also finished on the levee, which tops out at 8 feet high and runs from Bobtown Bridge to Lake Boudreaux.

Construction by Metairie contractors JV L&S-Cky on the 4-mile south section of the levee running from Lake Boudreaux to Orange Street is 92 percent complete, McCarthy said, and will be finished no later than July 30. Most of the levee has been built to 7.3 feet high.

Around 100,000 cubic yards of extra material has been hauled to the site because parts of Lake Boudreaux were deeper than anticipated, she said. In addition, more marshy ground was encountered than expected.

Money left over from the $30 million appropriated by Congress to build the levees will be used on other levee work, McCarthy said.

Parish Manager Al Levron said four open areas can be closed quickly if needed until the parish takes over the levees, which will become part of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system.

At last week’s meeting, the parish council also adopted a well-publicized ordinance raising fines substantially for tall grass and junk on property and establishing a criminal offense for a third violation.

The ordinance prohibits building fences on property to conceal junk, as well.

Before adopting the ordinance, the parish council heard opposing views on the fencing provision from Terrebonne residents.

Dulac resident Carrolle Montgomery said that junk on property is a breeding ground for vermin and would not be tolerated in the Broadmoor subdivision of Houma. She criticized Councilman Clayton Voisin for opposing the fencing provision.

Montegut resident Herdis Neil said many poor people cannot afford to remove junk from their property and the provision prohibiting fencing infringes on people’s freedom of action.

Councilman Alvin Tillman said he believes the ordinance has been misunderstood. The law only prohibits constructing a fence in response to junk and tall grass violations.

“I don’t believe people in Dulac want to be around junk and debris,” he said.

“It’s eliminating the fence as a solution to the problem. Vermin don’t respect fences,” said Councilman Kevin Voisin, who decried divisions between Houma and the rest of Terrebonne.

Also concerning grass maintenance, Councilman Pete Lambert called for greater use of mowers to cut grass on levees in Terrebonne instead of chemical spraying.

Clayton Voisin complained that chemicals are leaving some parts of levees denuded.

“Leave places impossible to cut to the chemicals,” Lambert said.

Most grass maintenance in Terrebonne is contracted out. Levron said chemical spraying stepped up beginning in 2004.

He said the parish would have to recapitalize its fleet to carry out cutting with mowers or contract out the service.