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State representative urges Lafourche Parish to back Mid Barataria sediment diversion
Summary
State Representative Joseph A. Orgeron, Ph.D. briefed the Lafourche Parish Council on DOTD projects, reported a 10,000‑mangrove planting in Fourchon and requested the council draft a resolution supporting the Mid Barataria sediment diversion to rebuild marsh and bolster LA 1 resiliency.
State Representative Joseph A. Orgeron, Ph.D. urged the Lafourche Parish Council on Dec. 10 to draft a parish resolution supporting the Mid Barataria sediment diversion, a Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) project aimed at reconnecting the Mississippi River and rebuilding marshland.
Orgeron, the first speaker in the council's legislative update, described several local transportation priorities he raised with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), including work on LA 1 signage, Golden Meadow Bridge inspections and other safety interventions. He told the council DOTD engineers are inspecting the Golden Meadow Bridge gearbox and that DOTD described a Jan. 1 repair target as "ambitious" but still pursuing it.
Orgeron also described recent coastal restoration work his nonprofit coordinated: "We completed a planting of 10,000 mangroves on the new terraces in Fourchon," he said, crediting Ducks Unlimited and ConocoPhillips for the site work. He framed the plantings as a nature-based resiliency measure for LA 1 and said marsh restoration must be pursued along with levees and other CPRA tools.
On the Mid Barataria project he asked the council to consider an official statement of support: "I would, again, kindly ask that y'all give consideration, and one of the council members consider making a motion to draft a resolution so that Lafourche Parish government is in support of this particular, cornerstone project of CPRA's master plan," he said. Orgeron described the diversion as previously discussed in this chamber and as a longstanding CPRA priority that passed legislative review in multiple cycles.
Why it matters: The Mid Barataria diversion is a regional coastal-engineering proposal intended to move sediment into Barataria Basin to rebuild wetlands that protect inland highways such as LA 1 and local communities from storm surge. A parish resolution would be a political signal to state and federal agencies weighing project planning and permitting.
What happened next: Council members asked follow-up questions about DOTD items and local drainage issues. The transcript records Orgeron's request for a parish resolution, but the council did not adopt that resolution during the Dec. 10 meeting; he asked for a council member to make a motion to draft one.
Next steps: Orgeron said he is available to answer questions and welcomes a council motion to draft the resolution; the council must place such a draft on a future agenda for formal consideration and vote.
