łÒ°ż±·ŽÜŽĄłą·Ął§Ìęâ A little over two years after the 2016 flood that devastated much of the region, East Ascension drainage board members were in a full-on debate over what appeared to be just another engineering contract extension.
Underlying that debate this past fall, however, was a proxy fight over how quickly the parish should move on imposing new development restrictions in low-lying areas after the historic flood inundated nearly 6,200 homes or other structures in the parish.Â
Two years after a flood ravaged the capital region, construction of new homes proceeds in much the same way.
At the time, the parish administration wanted more time for the firm, HNTB, to finish work on a proposed floodplain management plan that had already proposed limits on the use of dirt, or "fill," to raise homes. The limits are seen as a way to mitigate the flood impact on surrounding homes. Â
Although HNTB's recommendations on limiting the use of fill were made months ago, the parish council has yet to act on them. With the entire 11-member Parish Council up for re-election, along with the parish presidency, it's a thorny issue. There are strong opinions on both sides of the argument for imposing such limits. Â
Some council members, like drainage board chairman Dempsey Lambert and Randy Clouatre, the vice chairman, have already drawn election opponents based, in part, on what critics see as their lack of action on the standing recommendations from HNTB to limit the use of fill.Â
"How can these guys not want this for their people," Brandon Golson, 31, a Galvez-area resident who is running against Lambert and assisted in Cajun Navy flood rescues in 2016, said of both drainage officials.
DONALDSONVILLEÂ â A proposed six-month moratorium on most fill for new developments within high-risk flood zones in Ascension Parish failed Thu…
Lambert and Clouatre say it's not so simple. They say they aren't intentionally delaying a decision, only trying to balance flood protection measures like fill limits against the rights of landowners to use their land. They said they want more information first on the economic and other impacts of imposing limits on fill.
"I mean you're messing with people's property. You got to make sure this stuff is right," Lambert said.
In the middle of last year, HNTB had proposed limiting use of fill to no more than 3 feet deep inside the 100-year floodplain, the area the Federal Emergency Management Agency has deemed the most at risk for flooding.Â
The proposal would apply to a broad swath of Ascension, as 70 percent of the parish falls into the flood plain, including much of Ascension's undeveloped land.
The proposed restrictions would limit much-criticized practices used widely in Ascension for major residential communities that result in whole subdivisions being built up on mounds of dirt.
The restrictions would also affect mom-and-pop single home projects in more rural areas like flood-prone St. Amant and might even affect a planned $26 million parish courthouse in Gonzales, these councilmen say.
Such a limit on fill would mean construction in some of the lowest parts of Ascension wouldn't meet federally-backed parish elevation requirements solely with dirt. The results likely would mean pier-and-beam construction for future development in those areas.
The proposal has raised concerns among rural landowners and developers and it's remained stalled, awaiting a decision from the East Ascension drainage board, which is made up of Lambert, Clouatre and other parish council members.
GONZALES â After the August 2016 flood inundated more than 7,000 homes and businesses in Ascension Parish, parish officials have discussed not…
By the time of the debate on Oct. 8 over extending HNTB's contract, some council members saw it yet another reason to delay action on fill limits.
Aaron Lawler, a Prairieville-area councilman, told his fellow members that he knew he didn't have the votes for a "no fill" ordinance and was ready to compromise on them but said it was time to act.
"Dang it. Let's do something about this," Lawler told other members.
Clouatre, who represents the St. Amant area and saw his own home flood in 2016, had his doubts on such deal could happen by year's end.
"Ain't no way," he chimed in, as the board went forward with the short extension.
Fast forward to the new year, and Clouatre was proven right. HNTB's much-debated extension expired at the end of 2018. No deal has happened on fill.
The HNTB contract is expected to come up for another renewal next week before the drainage board, but it appears Clouatre and Lambert are on the hook to act on fill this year.Â
Council members say Lambert and Clouatre got the drainage board leadership posts again in January only with some caveats â and also because no one else wanted to be on the hot seat in an election year.
Council Chairwoman Teri Casso said Lambert and Clouatre promised her and other council members to bring some kind of fill ordinance forward in 2019 and move to hire a dedicated drainage director who can stay directly engaged on the issue.
A day after Lambert's re-appointment as the drainage board's chairman last month, he reiterated the commitment, saying the drainage board would definitely have a vote on fill limits.
"I want to be able to put it to a rest this year," said Lambert, who as drainage chairman has a key say in what the board considers.
But Lambert said that won't happen until after the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio examines the economic and other impacts of fill restrictions, a process LSU officials said could take until May. The drainage board agreed to hire LSU in December.
In the meantime, Lawler said he wants to bring back the idea of a moratorium on fill inside the 100-year floodplain until the drainage board decides whether to accept HNTB's recommendations. Â
łÒ°ż±·ŽÜŽĄłą·Ął§Ìęâ For years in Ascension Parish, individual homes â and sometimes entire subdivisions â have been built on mounded dirt in flood-pron…
Until then, Lawler argued, landowners under the moratorium could still build on pier and pile as south Louisian homes were historically built. He said there's no point in letting people to mound dirt to places HNTB might later suggest is a bad idea.
"You can't take fill back is my point," Lawler said. "Once fill is put there, you cannot remove it."