Residents voice support, opposition for Stephensville drainage project

Stephensville residents have until Sunday to provide their comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a proposed St. Martin Parish flood protection project that has both proponents and opponents speaking out.

The drainage improvements in St. Martin Parish project is located in Bayou Estates Subdivision off Stephensville Road and includes a new pump station, sheet pile wall to block potential floodwaters and a floodgate. The Corps of Engineers will submit any comments it receives to St. Martin Parish government, said Sara Fortuna, project manager for the Corps.

The Corps is responsible for issuing a permit for the project to proceed.

People can submit comments to Fortuna through email at Sara.B.Fortuna@usace.army.mil or by mail:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

New Orleans District

P.O. Box 60267

New Orleans, LA 70160-0267

Project Engineer Mo Saleh of Professional Engineering & Environmental Consultants provided The Daily Review the following details on the project that will prevent flooding up to 4 feet above sea level, he said.

The project includes installation of sheet piles along the north canal and most eastern canal in Stephensville, a 30-foot-wide floodgate on the north side of Bayou Estates Subdivision and a new drainage pumping station on the eastern canal side to create a forced drainage area during storms.

Additionally, an earthen berm will be built along the western edge of the subdivision and behind the homes with low ground elevation, Saleh said.

The existing pump station at the entrance to the subdivision must be repaired and increased in pumping capacity. Existing equipment is currently located below the base flood elevation and will be moved to one platform above the base flood elevation, he said.

The pumping capacity will be improved by lining the sump area, reinforcing walls with sheet piling and replacing the existing pump with a larger capacity pump, Saleh said.

Another part of the project is installation of a flap gate at each of the outfalls to prevent flooding from water flowing reversed in existing catch basins and outfalls when waterways rise.

The project will provide a watertight system for all sewer manholes to prevent water from intruding into the wastewater treatment system and modify the drain pipes that flow toward the north end of the subdivision, Saleh said.

Stephensville resident Jack Vilas said only half of the Stephensville residents would be protected and affected by the project. Many residents oppose the project, Vilas said.

The proposed project would include a 6-foot sheet pile wall right behind Vilas’ backyard, which will drop the value of home prices along the waterway, he said. But Vilas opposes the project for other reasons as well, he said.

Of the roughly 250 homes in Bayou Estates, Vilas said about 25 percent of the homes are below 4 feet in elevation, which is the level of protection the project would provide.

Stephensville resident Elwood Scully said he and 75 percent of the Stephensville community signed on in favor of the project. Five years ago, Scully and about 15 other residents went house to house to get the signatures, he said.

Stephensville floods when Bayou Chene and Bayou Boeuf floodwaters from the Atchafalaya River reach the community, Scully said.

Scully said the planned Bayou Chene Flood Control & Diversion Project won’t stop all flooding in Stephensville. When the water level reaches 2.5 feet in Stephensville, water starts getting over the roads, Scully said. At 3 feet, 70 percent of Stephensville’s roads are flooded, Scully said.

In 1977, the Atchafalaya River got to 6 feet, while Stephensville reached 3 feet, Scully said. In that circumstance, officials wouldn’t close Bayou Chene because the water isn’t high enough in Morgan City, Scully said.

“The river doesn’t have to flood for us to get high water here,” Scully said.

When the roads go under water, Stephensville’s sewer system floods, and people can’t flush their toilets, Scully said.

Resident Earl King, who opposes the project, said water has only gone above 4 feet three times since 1970.

“We’re really not getting very much for our money,” King said.

He is opposed to the project because officials haven’t done an environmental impact study, he said. King, a former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ commissioner, has a “deep regard for the sanctity of our wetlands and the sanctity of our wildlife and the spawning of our fish and our birds.”

Water in the streets is sometimes a problem in Bayou Estates, but that’s due to the poor drainage in the subdivision, King said.

Not enough engineering firms have been able to give their ideas on the project and examine alternatives to current specifications, King said.

Scully wanted to make sure people submit their comments because not everyone received the Corps of Engineers’ notice, he said.

Resident Wayne Romero said he is in favor of the project because Stephensville’s flooded streets cause sewage problems for the subdivision. Keeping the sewer system above water “as long as we can,” that’ll keep the sewers functioning properly, Romero said.

Vilas is concerned about the stagnant water the project could cause with only a 30-foot gate allowing water to leave Bayou Estates Subdivision, he said. Vilas said the project could adversely affect wildlife, including eagles that live in the area.

“The amount of street flooding is not worth the possibility of totally ruining the area,” Vilas said.