[StBernard] Hurricane-protection levees pit St. Bernard, Plaquemines

[Westley Annis]

Hurricane-protection levees pit St. Bernard, Plaquemines
By Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune 
December 20, 2009, 5:04AM


On a rural patch of land between the Mississippi River and the vast swath of
marshes south of St. Bernard Parish, plans are being finalized for the last
stretch of a nearly 25-mile ring of concrete floodwalls that will arm the
parish against storm surges from a so-called 100-year hurricane.

But there's a hitch: The only patch of vacant land on which to build the
wall is just across the St. Bernard Parish line, on the east bank of
Plaquemines Parish. In order for work to proceed, the Plaquemines Parish
Council must sign off on the plan, even though their constituents won't
benefit from the 24-foot concrete levees just up the road.

Several St. Bernard council members this week brought up the conundrum in
Plaquemines, making plans to attend a Plaquemines meeting next month to
persuade their counterparts not to delay approval.

"It's a political problem for some of the councilmen ... because the (Army
Corps of Engineers) has not provided the Braithwaite area with the same
amount of flood protection as in St. Bernard," said St. Bernard Councilman
Wayne Landry.

Although there are concerns in St. Bernard that the Plaquemines contingent
might not sign the agreement, the Plaquemines Councilman who represents the
area said Friday he does not plan to hold up the agreement.

But he does want to make a point.

"We just want to be on record as saying, 'There will be effects -- because
of this levee -- in Plaquemines,'" said Plaquemines Parish Councilman Don
Beshel, who represents the parish's east bank communities. "The water is
going to hit that levee. And especially with the counterclockwise rotation,
it's going to inundate us worse than before."

As a massive construction effort is under way to fortify the metropolitan
area against hurricanes, the episode illustrates the inevitable winners and
losers in the alignment of the 100-year system. Designed to reduce the risk
of flooding from a 100-year hurricane -- a relatively modest storm that has
a 1-percent chance of occurring in any year -- the 100-year levee alignment
that was approved by Congress leaves out all of the east bank and much of
the west bank of Plaquemines Parish.

At issue in this case is the Caernarvon floodwall, which ties together the
Mississippi River levee and the corps' Chalmette Loop Levee system: more
than 20 miles of planned concrete floodwalls and large floodgates stretching
from Bayou Bienvenue along the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet Channel and
looping back around to the west to meet the river.

The corps' proposed alignment for the last stretch of the floodwall is in
Plaquemines Parish, to avoid the relocation of nearby businesses on the St.
Bernard side. The Lake Borgne Levee District, which oversees the maintenance
of levees in St. Bernard, must enter into an agreement with the Plaquemines
Parish Council to have jurisdiction over the Plaquemines section of the
floodwall.

If the agreement is not signed, several St. Bernard Parish councilmen said
construction on the floodwall could be delayed by as much as three months.

The issue will be discussed at a community meeting Monday at 6 p.m., at the
Assumption Catholic Church, at 6951 Louisiana 39 in Braithwaite. The
Plaquemines Parish Council is scheduled to take up the matter on Jan. 14.

Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said he understands the
concerns of the residents on his parish's east bank, and said the parish is
working with the corps to eventually get 100-year protection eight miles
further south on the east bank of Plaquemines.

"It's almost criminal that they (east bank of Plaquemines Parish) were left
out, but the corps is bound by Congress to finish that levee in a certain
amount of time," Nungesser said. "We are doing everything we can in the
parish to position ourselves to have 100-year protection. I understand that
they're scared, they're angry, but we need to do the right thing... sign the
agreement; help St. Bernard."

Landry and St. Bernard Parish Councilman Fred Everhardt plan to attend the
Plaquemines council meeting in January to discuss the levee issue and also
pledge to lobby the corps and the congressional delegation during an
upcoming trip to Washington.

"All of our entire governing authority will commit to doing everything in
our power, including visiting with all the key people in Washington in
January, to make sure we lobby for Plaquemines to have the same protection,"
Landry said.