Council approves coastal plan

Published 9:11 pm Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Iberia Parish Council passed a resolution that may go a long way in alleviating drainage and fisheries concerns in the parish at Wednesday’s meeting. 

The council voted unanimously to appropriate $5,000 from the GOMESA fund for costs related to the planning of the Coast Historical Hydrological Restoration Project. 

The project is in conjunction with the St. Mary Parish Levee District, St. Mary Parish Government, Port of West St. Mary, Consolidated Gravity District No. 1 and Port of Iberia to divert water away from both Iberia and St. Mary Parish. 

Councilman Brian Napier is being used to keep a presence at Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority meetings. 

“It’s about trying to stop a lot of the freshwater that’s going through Calumet through the Atchafalaya that comes around,” Napier said. “It’s coming through the Vermilion Bay and into Iberia Parish.” 

Napier added that the $5,000 is not being spent through the Royalty Fund, but rather the restricted GOMESA line item in the fund. 

“This is something good that costs very little where we can get something good out of the CPRA,” Councilman Warren Gachassin said. 

The project itself would erect a coastal barrier between Burns Point and Marsh Island, which Napier said could reduce drainage and possibly aid the fisheries industry in the area. 

“There’s so much freshwater that comes in through Vermilion Bay, it will help our drainage system and it’ll help the fisheries,” Napier said. 

“If you talk to commercial fishermen, there’s hardly any oyster beds out there. It’s a two-fold, maybe more fold thing that we would be doing if we can get the money.”