Posted on October 5, 2017
By Halen Doughty, Donaldsonville Chief
The Ascension Parish President was one of three to send a letter to the Pontchartrain Levee District (PLD) requesting action on Bayou Manchac Dredging to enhance drainage in the area. Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, and Iberville Parish President Mitchell Ourso sent the letter to PLD President Ricky Bosco.
The capitol area leaders asked the PLD to obtain the four permits necessary for clearing, snagging, and maintenance dredging of the 10-mile stretch of Bayou Manchac in the hopes of limiting flooding from future disasters. Regional leaders have looked at the status of drainage projects in the region following the August flood of last year.
Clearing and dredging of Bayou Manchac could improve drainage in the Spanish Lake Basin and Bluff Swamp. Dialogue, data collection, and site inspections have resulted from a regional drainage summit held in January of this year. Leaders are now calling for improvements to the bayou that impact residents of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, and Iberville parishes.
The parish presidents explained in the letter that the PLD is the ideal candidate to serve as applicant for the permits, saying the people of these parishes will be ever grateful for action on this matter.
“We commit to you our support and cooperation throughout each step of this process. We are ready to move forward as quickly as possible,” the letter reads.
Copies of the letter were also sent to Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana’s U.S. senators and congressional delegation, as well as state representatives and senators, state agencies, and the Louisiana Corps of Engineers.
Source: Donaldsonville Chief
