Army Corps details New Orleans–to–Venice levee work, DRSSA funding and Point Celeste push at Plaquemines meeting

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told the Plaquemines Parish Council on a lengthy presentation that most New Orleans‑to‑Venice (NOV) levee contracts are under construction or complete, that additional federal disaster‑relief funds have been allocated for future reaches, and that the Corps and the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority are coordinating on outstanding design, pump‑station and borrow‑material issues.

Hashim Alberhale, a project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District, gave the council a project update, saying NOV was originally authorized in the Flood Control Act of 1962 and that the program has moved through multiple contracts: “Twenty‑three of the 29 contracts are completed. Six are currently ongoing,” Alberhale said. He also cited earlier and recent emergency supplemental appropriations, saying the program has received emergency supplemental money of about $1.4 billion and that the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (DRSSA) added roughly $783 million for additional work.

The additional DRSSA funding will finance further work to raise reaches to a 50‑year level of risk reduction and other features, Alberhale said. The Corps described the mix of completed and ongoing contracts and provided a schedule for construction completion (NCC) or turnover, which the Corps explained is the formal “construction completion” step after which the non‑federal sponsor—in this case Plaquemines Parish government—accepts operation and maintenance responsibility.

Why it matters: The levee reaches and pump stations covered by the NOV program protect homes, roads and utilities across the parish. Corps officials and parish leaders said completing and accrediting levee sections will be an essential step toward reducing flood insurance risk in the parish and lowering residents’ premiums, but accreditation requires completed, inspected and accepted construction in each section.

Work and schedule highlights - NOV contracts reported as finished include the Wood Park to Point Celeste reach, which the Corps said received its second NCC on Dec. 20, 2024. Other reaches remain at varying completion percentages: Alberhale gave LaRose to Myrtle Grove at about 68% and Myrtle Grove to Wood Park at about 77% complete and listed NCC target dates in 2026–2028 for a number of reaches. - Wilkinson Pump Station has a recently awarded contract and a mobilized contractor (J‑Stars) working on longstanding issues. Alberhale told the council the pump station currently has three pumps working, two operating at about 75% capacity, pump 1 out of service and pump 2 fully operational.

Point Celeste pump station: separate funding tracks April Falcon Villa, a branch chief at the New Orleans District’s program management division, addressed the Point Celeste pumping station that parish leaders have pressed the Corps to prioritize. Falcon Villa said the Corps has been exploring three funding or authority paths to address Point Celeste: (1) try to prioritize it within DRSSA funds (the Corps said that approach was not permitted for that project), (2) use authority created for rehabilitation of pump stations (that authority exists but has no appropriated funds), and (3) classify the work as an environmental infrastructure feature—a newer approach for which the Corps is awaiting implementation guidance from headquarters. She said the parish had submitted a letter of interest and the Corps was prepared to proceed once funding or implementation guidance is available.

When asked for a ballpark cost, the Corps gave a public estimate in the meeting “in the ballpark of $50 million,” and said design capacity and number of pumps would match existing configuration (replacement‑in‑kind). That estimate was described by Corps staff as preliminary and subject to acquisition and design processes.

Borrow material and government‑furnished versus contractor‑furnished approaches Corps staff described requirements and options for borrow material (clay fill) needed to raise levees to 50‑year design levels. The Corps’ stated preference is for “government‑furnished borrow”: the non‑federal sponsor acquires the land (lands, easements, rights‑of‑way) and the Corps performs geotechnical and environmental clearances; when federal funding covers the work the parish is later reimbursed for accepted acquisitions. The Corps said a contractor‑furnished approach—where a contractor brings material already cleared—tends to be more expensive.

Levee accreditation and FEMA Council members pressed the Corps on how NOV construction ties to Federal Emergency Management Agency flood‑insurance mapping and premiums. Corps staff said completed reaches can be certified section by section: once a new reach is accredited by FEMA the mapped risk for that section can be lowered and insurance premiums can be reduced. The Corps noted accreditation is a multi‑step process that requires final inspections, as‑built records and engineering certifications.

Coordination with the Mid‑Barataria sediment diversion and CPRA Council members repeatedly asked whether the Corps and the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) are coordinating the NOV work with the Mid‑Barataria Sediment Diversion, which parish residents fear could raise mean water levels in some areas. April Falcon Villa said the diversion project is a CPRA initiative and a Section 408 permission was issued for it; she said the Corps meets with CPRA and will review designs to ensure the diversion does not ‘‘induce flooding to the area’’ and that CPRA is responsible for providing construction schedules and design features for Corps review. Multiple Corps staff said coordination had been ongoing during design and construction but noted that several schedules and approvals had been paused pending larger program or administration decisions.

Questions and next steps Council members and parish staff pressed the Corps for written materials and for routine progress briefings. The Corps agreed to provide the council the slide deck and to return for follow‑up briefings and a clearer graphic showing which reaches are at 25‑year versus 50‑year design, with NCC dates and outstanding punch‑list items. Corps staff also said they will share more detailed inspection reports used for final acceptance.

Quotes from the meeting - “Knowles to Venice originally authorized by section 203 of the Flood Control Act of 1962,” Hashim Alberhale, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager, said during the slides. - “After we NCC the project, the non‑federal sponsor, which in this case would be Plaquemines Parish government, will have to handle it and maintain it,” April Falcon Villa, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers branch chief, said when explaining construction completion (NCC).

Ending The Corps closed by asking the parish to send site‑specific questions as they arise and said it would return with periodic updates. Parish leaders emphasized interest in accelerating certification and urged the Corps to prioritize coordination on pump stations and accreditation so residents can seek reduced insurance costs once federal acceptance is completed.