The Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District will open bids for the construction of the Houma Navigational Canal Lock Complex on December 21, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. Officials are confident that there will be numerous bids submitted based on participation in the October pre-bid meeting and expect bids in the $300-million range.

The HNC Lock Complex is a critical link in the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction System (MtG), providing flood protection, navigation and environmental benefits. Construction is funded by State dollars from the RESTORE Act, and the State's investment will be used as a match for federal funds invested in other segments of the MtG project.

The future HNC Lock Complex illustrated at right in the image above

will complement the existing Bubba Dove Floodgate illustrated at left.

Morganza Action Coalition thanks all Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish residents

whose support through millages and sales taxes has substantially advanced the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction System.

MAC is also grateful for the partnerships with LA Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the State of Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and their significant investments in the project.

Reaches G1 and G2 in Dulac will attach to the HNC Lock, to be located at the top right of the photo, providing critical closure in the MtG system. The levees are being raised to a height of 15 feet. The protected side is on the right of the photo.

Levee Reach G2-C has also been raised to 15 feet, protecting LA Highway 57 (Bayou Sale Road) seen at right.

Repairs from Hurricane Ida and improvements have been completed on Reach H1, bringing the levee to an elevation of 15 feet. An environmental water control structure is located within this segment, as seen in the middle of the photo.

Hurricane Ida repairs have also been completed on Levee Reaches H2 and H3, raising the levees to +13 elevation.

At the site of the future Humble Canal Floodgate in Montegut, contractor Onshore Materials has built up the ground area to prepare for construction of the floodgate on each side of the canal. The pre-load marks the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's (USACE) first construction investment in the MtG system, and the USACE is expected to go to bid for construction of the Humble Canal Floodgate itself in 2027. Our community thanks USACE for their investment in this critical project!

Currently under construction to elevation of 12 feet, Reach L stretches from the Grand Bayou Floodgate (seen at top of photo), east to its tie-in to the South Lafourche Levee System in Cut Off, closing one of the last remaining significant openings in the eastern end of the Morganza to the Gulf System.

On November 15, Morganza Action Coalition, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government and regional levee districts hosted U.S. Corps of Engineers Assistant Secretary Michael Connor for an update and discussion on furthering the build-out of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction System. New Orleans District Commander Colonel Jones accompanied Assistant Secretary Connor on the trip. Visits by leadership such as this allow the MtG team to explain the importance and complexity of the system, in addition to its economic and environmental benefits to the nation.

The Morganza Action Coalition, in cooperation with the LA Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Louisiana Congressional Delegation, has succeeded in advancing $28 million within the Community Project funding section of the federal Fiscal Year 2024 Energy and Water measure. This bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and advanced through the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations. It was not included within the three-bill package which the Senate approved before the Thanksgiving recess. 

MAC continues to advocate for this funding to be included within the final appropriations measure. At this point, it is unclear the path Congress will undertake to pass their twelve appropriations measures, but Energy and Water must either be signed by the President before January 18, 2024 (the expiration of the existing concurrent resolution) or be extended with an additional CR. These funds will be used to raise the elevation of Levee Reach F, improving a critical element of the Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Risk Reduction system.

After careful consideration and in cooperation with navigation and local interest, the U.S. Corps of Engineers (USACE) has been able to pin down the location of the 225-foot eastern Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Floodgate as part of the Morganza to the Gulf alignment as shown on the right side of the map above. The USACE is now working to lock down alignments of the levees on both sides of this gate.

In South Lafourche, the USACE is considering alignment alternatives to best tie into the South Lafourche Levee System. The Corps has been working with the North Lafourche Levee District to refine the Post Authorization Change (PAC) Report alignment to complement locations of existing levees and avoid conflicts with pipelines and other infrastructure in addition to minimizing direct and indirect impacts to wetlands.

"The NLLD has been working for years to improve protection in this area and we have a pretty extensive understanding of just where the levee can and can’t go. The four reaches on the map indicate the location of the NLLD preferred alignment. The original and problematic PAC alignment is also shown for reference. We are hoping to receive a tentatively selected alignment that we can use to continue our local build-out of this system before the end of the year," explains NLLD Executive Director Dwayne Bourgeois.

Your membership contribution to MAC sustains our advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. and Baton Rouge, and strengthens public outreach and communication activities

to advance local levee protection.

Morganza Action Coalition

Henri Boulet, Executive Director

henri@morganza.org

985-258-1399

www.Morganza.org