Concerns and facts

Published 6:00 am Friday, November 17, 2017

This is in response to Harold Schoeffler’s comments in the November 14, 2017, “Open Forum” of The Daily Iberian. Mr. Schoeffler is the chairman of the Acadian Group Sierra Club Lafayette.

I have known Harold Schoeffler for more than twenty years. During those years I have had the opportunity to get to know Harold and have sought his opinion and advice on several occasions. In my opinion, his position on complicated issues have been thoroughly thought out and he presents his ideas with authority. That is why I am confused reading his concerns on the proposed Iberia Parish Levee and Drainage Project as expressed in the “Open Forum.” Obviously, Harold does not fully understand this project. Let me try to address his concerns.

CONCERN: The project has not permit and may not get them.

FACT: Using best practices for the building of flood protection starts with the permitting process. Other parishes such as Terrebonne, Lafourche and Orleans have shown that permitting is possible. A project of this size is broken down into smaller sections so the design and permitting of one section can begin while another is being constructed. This kind of “project stacking” is permitted regularly and there is no reason to expect Iberia Parish would be unable to obtain permits.

CONCERN: The levee stands alone and does not connect to neighboring parishes.

FACT: The flood protection system in Iberia Parish is part of the State of Louisiana’s Master Plan for Coastal Protection and Restoration. That plan is for protection of the entire Louisiana Coast with interconnected levees and flood protection across coastal parishes. Both St. Mary Parish and Vermilion Parish are part of the State Master Plan to interconnect with Iberia Parish on the east and west end of our system. St. Mary parish is building levees and currently maintains more than 120 miles of levee systems.

CONCERN: Three thousand (3,000) acres of valuable farmland and marshland will be loss, an economic negative and you can’t build levees in marshland. How will marshland hydrology be affected?

FACT: The assumed loss of farmland and wetland in excess of 3,000 acres is not true. The fact is that the Iberia Parish’s system as in many other parishes will help to improve areas south of our system. Current assessments demonstrate that areas beyond the levee system in neighboring parishes are healthier and with an increased effort on restoration more land is being established along the wetlands. Marshland hydrology will be enhanced as seen in these neighboring parishes.

Iberia Parish levee system will be constructed at the southern wetland/upland interface of the parish. By building on hard upland, it provides a sturdy foundation to build upon and minimizes the ill effects to the wetlands. Iberia Parish is blessed to have good soils in the area of the levee alignment.

CONCERN: Only ten percent (10%) of the 30,000 homes will benefit.

FACT: Other than Avery Island because of the high natural elevation in that region, 100% of the homes in Iberia Parish will be within the protected side of the levee alignment and protective structures.

CONCERN: The financial burden of maintaining the levee will fall on Iberia Parish residents and without maintenance funds the plan is doomed to fail.

FACT: The operations and maintenance of the system is built into the plan and the millage will cover the cost to maintain. A portion of the funding from the millage will go towards matching opportunities with state and federal agencies. These matching opportunities are not one to one. They vary from 65% to 35% match to 90% to 10% match. Opportunities exist with the levee district contribution of only 35% to 10% of the cost.

Iberia Parish gains as a whole with the building of a flood protection system. An analogy that can be used is we all pay for fire protection. It protects all homes for in the unfortunate event of a fire. It is a well documented fact that as we invested in our fire protection system, our fire insurance rates went down. The same is documented that if we invest in a well planned comprehensive flood protection and drainage system, our flood insurance rates will go down. The savings from flood insurance cost and future home value assessments will far surpass the annual cost to the taxpayer to fund the system. By raising local funding and combining it with the state and federal sources, Iberia Parish can build the protection needed to survive.

I hope that this response clarifies the issues and concerns raised. Regardless of the reader’s position on the proposed Levee and Drainage Project, please exercise your right to express your opinion on Saturday, November 18, 2017.

Ray A. Pontiff

Retired Executive Director of the Port of Iberia and current member of the Iberia Parish Levee, Hurricane and Conservation District