New Pumping Station Getting Started in Plaquemines Parish
Phylway Construction of Thibodaux was awarded the $29.5 million contract to construct a new pump station designed to replace the existing Wilkinson Canal Pump Station in Plaquemines Parish. The Army Corp of Engineers awarded the contract in July, 2013, and the pump station is scheduled to be completed in approximately 33 months. The new pump station is located south of Oakville and will tie into the newly-completed levee system that protects Belle Chasse and other parts of the West Bank.
This new pumping station will be built with “fronting protection features” which help to fend off water from affecting the pumps themselves during a tropical storm, hurricane, or a massive frontal system with days and days of rain. The fronting system extends the drainage pipes out from the pumping station walls and there are also gates and valves to keep the water from flowing backward.
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The current federal levee protection system being built in and around New Orleans has protections designed for a 100-year storm. This new pumping station is part of a non-federal levee protection system that plans for a 50-year storm. This is the 5th contract to be awarded and started as part of this system. Because the new FEMA Flood Maps only determine flood elevations for new and existing homes based on the 100-year storm, this has been a “bone of contention” for Louisiana state legislators and the United States Congress because of the cost of flood insurance which will now skyrocket because of the Biggert-Waters Act.
As parts of Plaquemines Parish are outside the federal levee protection system, this parish along with Lafourche, Terrebonne, St. Tammany, and St. Charles Parishes are involved in a pilot program organized by FEMA, the goal of which is to set new rules for determining risk in areas with non-federal systems.
At The Parks of Plaquemines, our residents enjoy the fact that 1) the neighborhood has never flooded – not during Katrina and not during Isaac – and 2) our subdivision has flood elevation levels that require minimal or NO flood insurance. To enjoy the benefits of living on the Southshore / Westbank of New Orleans, a little more than 10 miles from the City, but without the cost of living in the City of New Orleans, visit The Parks of Plaquemines today to view lots and homes for sale! Call 504-364-2350 or E-mail [email protected] for more information.