HOUMA, La. (AP) - Chauvin’s flank will soon see more protection.
The Terrebonne Parish Council has approved a contract to begin construction on 4.5 miles of levees that will protect the community from floodwaters traveling through Lake Boudreaux.
Parish President Michel Claudet says the project involves building levees where none exist from the east Houma surge levees along Thompson Road down about three quarters of a mile parallel to La. 56.
Claudet tells The Courier (https://bit.ly/1i7WhZT ) future phases will put 10-foot levees along the entire side of Lake Boudreaux to the Morganza-to-the-Gulf levees.
The goal is to use the lake as a giant bathtub to store surge in the event the Morganza levees are topped. The parish levees would act as a second layer of defense keeping the lake from spilling into adjacent communities, Claudet said.
“This is a tremendous asset because even if surge overtops the Morganza levees, it then has to fill that whole basin before it can be a threat,” he said.
Construction could begin before summer and wrap up later this year, said Terrebonne Parish Capital Projects Manager Jeanne Bray.
___
Information from: The Courier, https://www.houmatoday.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.