North Lafourche Levee District
Thibodaux Rotary
December 17, 2013 Meeting
North Lafourche Levee District
Dwayne Bourgeois is the Executive Director of the North Lafourche Levee District. This levee district was formed in 1992 to provide flood protection for Northern Lafourche, eventually including the entire Parish north of the Intracoastal Canal in Larose.
This district protects over two thirds of Lafourche Parish population which is greater than 65,000 people. Our District has greater than 250 miles of levees & drainage canals and 40 pump stations. The main focus is to prevent flooding from heavy rainfalls, river events, tropical storms and hurricanes such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike.
Coastal land loss puts North Lafourche at a higher risk for flooding and makes it more difficult to get the water out. The USGS estimates that Louisiana has lost 1,883 square miles. That is 25% of the State’s 1932 coastal footprint. The 2062 Projection has the Potential to lose up to 1,756 square miles of land over the next 50 years.
NLLD owns major construction equipment and works every day to Build Levees and clear canals to ensure the water continues to flow. NLLD works daily to improve over 250 miles of levees and drainage canals throughout North Lafourche, in Larose, Valentine, Lockport, Mathews, Raceland and Thibodaux.
NLLD works on over $2 million/year of capital projects building or maintaining levees, drainage canals and pump stations.
NLLD Projects
- 10 Projects in Progress & Under Construction
- 10 Projects In Progress with Final Design, Permit and Bid Preparation
- 39 Projects In Engineering Design and Development
- 10 Projects In Progress By the Parish where NLLD is in a Financial and/or Technical Support Role
- 50 Additional Pre-Design Projects Identified and Listed, throughout the District
- District-wide Aerial Vegetation maintenance project. Every year NLLD spends a significant amount of funds to spray vegetation to keep the water flowing.
- Continuously taking advantage of partnering opportunities with other local and state agencies in order to leverage our funds & resources.
Dwayne Bourgeois also covered the topic of National Flood Insurance and how it affects south Louisiana. The key next steps include working with the Louisiana Congressional delegation and members of congress from other affected areas to refine / drive legislation. Also, work with FMEA to ensure holistic mapping and determine the accuracy of the actuarial rate setting. And continuing to build the national coalition for the National Flood Insurance Program is another important task.
