Drainage plan in works to help Morganza farmers

• By JOHN A. COLVIN
• Advocate River parishes bureau
• Published: Apr 25, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Twitter
• Social Media

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

MORGANZA — In hopes that farmers may be able to plant a late summer crop when the Mississippi River’s spring high water recedes, leaders and farmers began formulating a plan Thursday to rapidly drain the Morganza forebay area.

It is a time game, though, and is heavily dependent on nature, nearly 30 government officials and farmers learned during Thursday’s meeting.

It is also a high-stakes game for the farmers and landowners.

At stake are potential losses close to $20 million, said Josh Gill with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.

Area farmers, parish employees, National Guard personnel and many volunteers had built a “potato levee,” but the water overtopped that structure in late March.

Based on long-range forecasts, a rapid draining of the farmland between the Mississippi River and the Morganza Spillway could begin as early as June 1, said Lt. Col. Murray Starkel, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.

The June 1 target date is when the river level in the forebay area is projected to drop to 49 feet — the height of the area’s guide levees that protect the forebay land from most of the river’s high-water events.

Farmers said they need the land to be dry in the first week of July in order to plant late crops, and Starkel estimated it would take between 40 and 45 days to drain the forebay area.

If the river stays above 49 feet, the process could be delayed and farmers won’t be able to plant.

Without the rapid-draining process, it would take about 150 days for the water to leave the forebay area, he said.

On April 8, Gov. Bobby Jindal requested federal aid for the farmers through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Current agricultural loss is about $2 million based on LSU Agriculture Center information, Gill said. There is a potential for $7 million in losses if a crop is not planted in the forebay area, and an additional $12  million in losses if the water reaches the tailbay, or the spillway’s interior acreage.

Willie Cooper, executive director of the Farm Service Agency’s state office, said Tuesday that his office submitted a damage assessment report to federal officials last week and expects a decision to be made in the coming weeks.