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Bonnabel Civic Association
General Meeting, February 9, 2006
American Legion Post #175
2431 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA.

Hugh Cowan, president, called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. followed by the pledge to the flag. After welcoming everyone, Hugh introduced Sally Bourgeois, chair of the beautification committee. Myrtle Dubea was to make a brief presentation on beautification, however she was not present. Sally Bourgeois did invite attendees to take a Bring Back New Orleans yard sign if they wished.

Hugh Cowan announced that the officials would provide us with information based on the questions that were forwarded to them prior to the meeting. After all presentations have been made, there will be an opportunity for questions from the floor. Jennifer Sneed will select the questions. Attendees can forward additional questions to the Association and the Association will get them answered.

Hugh Cowan thanked Jennifer Sneed, John Young, Tom Capella and the Jefferson Parish Department Heads for attending the meeting.

Jennifer Sneed spoke first. She thanked Hugh Cowan for organizing the meeting and was glad to see so many people present. She will present information and facts so residents can make decisions about their future. Since Katrina, the parish is in the process of building safe houses for the pump operators. They will be at every pump station by June 1st. Never again will pump operators be evacuated.

Back flow prevention at the pumps is being addressed. The Parish has a short- term quick fix and a long-term solution. Engineers are studying the problem. All ideas are being explored including replacing the compressed air system with back flow valves.

The Parish is identifying an emergency operations center on the east bank. Three sites are being considered that are secure and can house essential personnel and equipment. The street and drainage personnel will be at this east bank operations center.

Hoey's basin (Oakridge, Metairie Gardens, South Beverly Knoll - 2500 acres) drains into the 17th Street Canal. Orleans Parish operates pump station #6. Jefferson Parish has a 25% interest in this pump. In the 30's and 40's, Jefferson Parish was sparsely populated and this relationship with Orleans was a good one. Now, the relationship no longer benefits Jefferson Parish. Jefferson needs its own pump station and drainage system for the Hoey basin. At present, the Parish plans to pump to the river.

Jefferson Parish as suspended permitting fees in order to eliminate some of the red tape for residents who need to do repairs.

Jennifer Sneed discussed answers to frequently asked questions from residents. The corps is responsible for pick up and paying for debris removal. No date has been set as to when this removal will stop. When it does stop, the Parish as a contract with waste management for pick-up.

Streets have been damaged in the storm and by heavy equipment on the streets. The federal government has monies for help with local streets. The Parish needs to supply technical data to the federal government. The Parish does have the necessary information.

Citizens with damage in excess of their insurance policy have concerns. There is 6.2 million in block grants available. The governor is in charge of disbursing this money. No application process has been identified yet. As soon as the Parish gets information on how to apply, the Parish will work to get this money.

Citizens are concerned about neighbors who have not returned and have not cleaned out their houses. Many of these deserted homes have stories such as delays in getting insurance checks and elderly people. The Parish has contacted Homestead, Florida and Charleston for advice on how to handle this situation.

Tom Capella spoke about people who have flooded several times. There is a pot of money available to raise houses, or to demolish and rebuild houses. A special application is needed and Jefferson Parish has made this application. Money may be available.

Greg Breaux from the New Orleans district of the Corps of Engineers gave an overview of what the corps is doing now and what the corps will be doing in the future. We must get levees to pre-Katrina level by June 1. Damaged walls will be higher and stronger. Areas not damaged will be put to standard by September of 2007. Projects that were in progress will be at the authorized design level for a category 3 hurricane.

The corps is doing an analysis and a report for congress that is due by June 3. They are determining what it would take to bring levees up to Category 5 level, to do coastal restoration, and to do interior drainage. By December of 2007, the corps will have a recommendation to congress for authorization.

There is an inter-agency team that is analyzing all levees that breached and MRGO. They will have their findings by June 1. They are studying how and why the levees failed so that it won't happen again.

South of Metairie Road in Hoey's basin, the canal walls cannot perform to design levels. The corps will construct temporary gates at the head of the out fall canals. The possibility of having both rainfall and a storm surge with a hurricane is remote. The challenge is when the gates are closed, what is pumped into the canal doesn't exceed what goes out of the canal. Pumping station #6 is rarely used to full capacity of 3,000 cps. The temporary pumps at 1,000 to 2,500 cps will be okay. The corps is analyzing which streets will flood and how much they will flood if the temporary pumps can't pump enough. The analysis is not yet completed. 

Jennifer Sneed stated that the Parish as gotten a firm to study what can be done if there is a heavy rainfall when the gates are closed. The Parish wants to have something in place to keep water out of homes by June 1.

Greg Breaux discussed long term plans. There is a team working on a 2-year report. The team consists of people from our area as well as from Holland. Holland has faced some of the same problems we are facing. They have a system of canals and pumping stations. 

The corps project manager, Fred, stated that for the heavy rains in May, the gates will be open. Only in case of a high category hurricane, will the gates be closed. Isadora was the only large hurricane that also brought a lot of rain. There was not a lot of rain with Camille and with Katrina. Fast moving storms aren't a problem. The lake front levees along Lake Pontchartrain in Jefferson and in Orleans Parishes handled the storm well. The gates at the head of the outflow canals will give the same protection as the Lake Pontchartrain levees. 

In order to build the gates at the head of the 17th Street canal, the corps must commandeer some property. The structure that will be built has 11 gates. A crane will drop the gates this hurricane season. In the future hydraulic pumps will operate them. The governor must commandeer Sid Mars and another piece of property for a tie-in. There will be diesel pumps with 4 days of diesel fuel, which the corps will maintain. They are in the process of determining what will be done with the pump operators so that the pumps will function. They are looking at automating the system.

A question and answer session followed. 
* The corps is working with the boat slips to relocate them.
* The Bonnabel pump station drains 3,900 acres with a capacity of 3,700 cfs. The Bonnabel basin has adequate pumping capacity
* The long-term solution is to put pumping stations at the head of each canal. This project has not been authorized yet. It will take 3 or 4 years to build the pumps after authorization.
* The corps has quality control and doesn't cut corners. The corps keeps records of quality control inspections. The Parish has an engineering firm, Brown, C_____, and Ganuch to observe the corps. Ken Brown stated that the firm will observe the corps on the west side of the canal. The East Jefferson levee district will monitor the west side of the 17th Street canal. The corps has no final plans of what needs to be done on the west side. The corps will be observed during the planning process. Frank Campbell said that the East Jefferson levee district monitors all the work the corps does.
* The 17th Street canal walls will hold if pump station #6 is pumping at full capacity during rainfall events.
* When the gates are closed, water will be pumped out of the Hoey basin to the river or to temporary ponds.
* The corps is also looking at preventing water from getting into Lake Pontchartrain and into MRGO for the long term.
* The Parish is looking at a backflow prevention system.
* The corps tells the S&WB how much they can pump into the 17th Street canal. There will be staff gauges up and down the canal.
* There will be a model at UNO to help determine when to close the gates.
* Money for the pumping stations has been appropriated but congress has not authorized it as yet.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. followed by door prizes and refreshments.

Respectfully submitted,



Marilyn M. Malone, secretary

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