Assumption Police Jury backs dredging
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NAPOLEONVILLE — The Assumption Parish Police Jury Wednesday threw its support behind the Lafourche Freshwater District’s plan to dredge Bayou Lafourche in an effort to improve flow and eliminate blackwater inversion caused by Hurricane Gustav.
Members of the district’s board of directors told jurors the project would affect property owners in Ascension and Assumption parishes and could mean the loss of some docks, bulkheads and other structures along the bayou on a stretch from Donaldsonville south to Belle Rose.
Board member Archie Chiasson Jr. told the jurors of a $2 million hydraulic suction dredging unit the district hopes to purchase to aid in the project. The unit features GPS navigation and laser-guided systems.
Ron Animashaun, who represents Assumption Parish on the board, said the dredging will bring more water down the bayou to help purge blackwater conditions and decrease stagnation.
Parish President Martin Triche said he felt the project is needed to increase water levels and justify upgrades to water services.
“We want to spend a couple of million dollars through grant funding to upgrade our water system, but it makes no sense to upgrade when the intake is not adequate,” Triche said.
While the project may cause inconveniences for some residents, Triche said, it ultimately benefits everyone by providing more fresh water and improved flow.
“When the power went out during Gustav, that’s one thing,” Triche said. “But when the water went bad, that was more of a hardship than anything. We’re not going to satisfy everyone by doing this, but the ability to provide fresh water is essential.”
Donald Arceneaux, who also represents the parish on the board, said that if a private landowner builds a structure on government-owned rights-of-way, they will not be compensated for loss of the structure caused by dredging.
According to the project’s timeline, the district hopes to start dredging July 1.
The district is scheduled to hold a public meeting on the project at 6:30 p.m. April 21 in Donaldsonville High School.
Also Wednesday, the Police Jury voted to send a letter to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles outlining its decision to temporarily close the agency’s Assumption Parish office for renovations.
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