TGMC dedicates pictured wall of donors
April 19, 2011
Lafourche permit office tries to stymie
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Morganza to the Gulf, to the uninformed ear, sounds like a historic military advancement, something like Sherman’s march to the sea.
In a way, there are similarities as Morganza promises to provide a line of defense from the full attack of hurricanes and tidal flooding associated with southern Louisiana and the environmental elements that have been stealing coastal land since the early 20th century.
Morganza to the Gulf is a hurricane and flood protection system designed for Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. A winding 72-mile connection of earthen levees, 12 floodgates, and a centerpiece lock system on the Houma Navigational Canal will ultimately offer a third line of defense after barrier islands and marshlands, once it is complete, it will reach from Bayou Dularge on the west to Bayou Lafourche on the east.
“When you talk about Morganza you almost have to talk about wearing two hats,” said Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District Executive Director Reggie Dupre in reference to the federal project and the local project. “The concern is that the feds need $3.5 million to finish their post alignment report by December 2012.”
Currently, federal funding has been blocked by budget cuts and a congressional ban on earmarks, although cash flow remains available to continue the study through the end of 2011.
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers studies the levee system, local and state government leaders have taken on the responsibility of building a scaled-down version. “The [interim] Morganza is well under way,” Dupre said.
The Morganza hurricane protection project was authorized by Congress in 1992. A feasibility study was approved with the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 1995 and was completed in March 2002 with a supplement in July 2003.
The total project cost is estimated at more than $886 million.
To assist in funding the building and continued maintenance, Terrebonne Parish residents voted in 2001 to pay a quarter-cent sales tax to match funds required for construction. Tax revenue has been used to help pay for design and engineering of the project, as well as construction. The state of Louisiana has a 35 percent share in funding the project.
Ground was broken on Morganza in January 2009. An original construction plan set the time from start to finish at 30 years.
“Right now, we are focusing on where to do the most amount of good to protect the most amount of people,” Dupre said. “The focal points [for now are] Lake Boudreaux and the Houma Navigational Canal. We’re in much better shape today than we were last year. If we can go until 2013 without some kind of hurricane strike, we will be in much better shape.”
The Morganza-to-the-Gulf project is sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District will provide operations and maintenance once the system is complete.
