Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish is preparing to begin more than $6 million in flood protection projects for the Raceland and Des Allemands areas.
The Daily Comet reports the work includes revamping two pump stations and a bulkhead using money from federal grants.
The bulkhead is on the Lafourche side of Bayou Des Allemands near the U.S. Highway 90 bridge.
Parish public works director Kerry Babin said the bulkhead is a barrier between strong currents that are especially damaging when strong winds blow waves against the structure.
The 1,600-foot bulkhead holds back water from Bayou Des Allemands, which drains the local basin, Babin said.
“All the water from the basin up north of Thibodaux, Choctaw, Chackbay and those areas has only one exit route, and that is Bayou Des Allemands,” he said. “It also takes a beating from the tidal increase during the tropical season.”
Two pump stations serving the Raceland area will be fully overhauled, Babin said. The stations, located south of Raceland, are old and worn, he said. Replacing them increases the reliability and efficiency of the pumps.
Miles of canals and ditches bring rainwater to the pump station, which pushes it out of the area protected by the levee system.
The stations drain area housing about 1,500 people and U.S. 90.
Topics Flood
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