Staff report
Recent action by Congress secured funding for long-sought funds for dredging local waterways, and not just the Atchafalaya River.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Army Civil Work Plan for this fiscal year includes about $62.5 million for “the Atchafalaya River and Bayous Chene, Boeuf and Black,” according to a press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette.
“This is a huge deal,” said Tim Connell, operations project manager for the Corps of Engineers in Louisiana. “It will be used to maintain the channel’s navigability.”
Keeping the bayous open at their authorized depth and width is a boon for local shipbuilders and other industries that rely on those waterways for their transportation lifeline. The appropriation also represents another multimillion investment in the local infrastructure, following projects like the $80 million Bayou Chene Flood Control Structure, the $26 million rehabilitation of the Long-Allen Bridge, and grants for local water and natural gas system upgrades.
The Corps has responsibility for maintaining the federal waterways, and the unprecedented level of dredging in the Port of Morgan City area over the last few years has been funded by Congress through the Corps.
The federal appropriations process begins with a budget submitted by the president, followed by a supplemental appropriation process and a Corps work plan in Congress.
The president’s budget for this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, included the $62.5 million, and the work plan announced last month officially funded those projects, said Port of Morgan City Executive Director Raymond “Mac” Wade.
A significant portion will go toward Phase 2 of the Chene, Black and Boeuf dredging.
Dredging on Bayou Chene, the first in more than a decade, widened the channel to 300 feet, Wade said. The second phase will bring the bayou to its authorized width of 400 feet. The authorized depth is 20 feet.
“It will be a big contract, one of the biggest we’ve ever had,” Wade said.
The contract is due to be let later this year.
Meanwhile, the Port of Morgan City is open at its authorized dimensions, also 20 feet deep and 400 feet wide. One dredge is currently at work near the point where the river meets the Gulf. That’s the Brice Civil Constructors dredge Arulaq, specially designed to remove sticky mud from the channel.
While the Atchafalaya-Chene-Black-Boeuf appropriation had been anticipated, the Corps work plan did include a $510,000 bump for efforts to remove obstructions from the Bayou Teche.
The original budget called for funding of $54,000 for a total of $564,000.
A Corps press release said that, working with the Louisiana Department of Transportation, it cleared 559 pieces of debris from the Teche in Iberia Parish May 9-May 22.
LaDOTD provided $1.3M in funding to the Army Corps of Engineers so the clearing and snagging could be completed by the USACE New Orleans District Hired Labor Unit.
“This is great news, and shows the strong partnership between federal, state, and local agencies here in Louisiana,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a press release. “When we work to address problems using common sense solutions, Louisiana wins.
“Clearing this area helps to support the small businesses that rely on the waterway for commerce. I am grateful for the partnership of LaDOTD and USACE to complete this project in an efficient manner.”
The work cleared obstructions from the Bayou Teche between river miles 51.2 and 72, which includes areas south of Keystone Dam down to New Iberia.