More funding south for south Louisiana levees

South Louisiana could receive another $7.6 billion early next year to rebuild levees in south Louisiana, according to Gulf Coast rebuilding coordinator Donald Powell.

Powell, a Texas banker appointed by President George W. Bush to oversee the federal effort in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, acknowledged that the money will be sought so that south Louisiana can attain flood protection from a 100-year storm.

According to officials, once the 100-year storm flood protection is in place, many areas inside of the proposed fortified levee protection primarily in Orleans, Jefferson, St.

Bernard and upper portions of Plaquemines parishes – would experience as little as two feet of flood water.

Bush administration officials noted that lower Plaquemines Parish was not included in the protection equation because of “environmental challenges.”

U.S. Sen. David Vitter acknowledged the call for additional, funding but he questioned the timing of the legislation.

“I am pleased to see that Mr. Powell is stepping forward and publicly requesting this funding. However, the problem is that the president will not include this money until next year’s budget cycle, pushing this critical funding for the Corps of Engineers back to

October 2008 at the earliest,” Vitter said. “I call on the president and my colleagues in the Congress to provide this funding in a supplemental bill as soon as possible.”

Vitter also called on Bush to waive the state’s required match – which can be as much as 35 percent should the funding become available.

According to Windell Curole, general manager of the South Lafourche Levee District, the Tri-parishes are not currently in line to receive a significant portion of the proposed funding, although the dynamics for distribution of the money could change as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.

“An initial glance appears to show that the funding, should it come to fruition, is destined for the New Orleans area. There are some 200,000 people in Lafourche and Terrebonne and the area plays a vital role in this nation’s economy with its oil, gas and fishing industries. Nobody ever talks about us,” said Curole, who alluded to the fact that the south Lafourche levee was most likely the only system that was not breached during Katrina.

“It seems we get penalized for doing our job,” he said.

But the South Lafourche levee project does stand to gain more cash.

Some $90 million in funding for levee upgrades and improvements as well as a monetary credit for work performed on the Leon Theriot lock is included in the long awaited Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

Congress is expected to vote on WRDA this fall.

Curole said the district received $4 million in the third supplemental funding bill last year. The money was originally intended to be used to fund work on two segments of the levee.

However, with escalating construction costs in the wake of the storms, the money only covered the completion of one segment of the levee and engineering and design on the second portion.