Building Flood Protection In Jefferson Parish

Jefferson Parish was largely spared from the worst effects of Hurricane Katrina, but the moderate damage that the parish did experience and the utter devastation that Katrina caused in neighboring parishes served as a powerful reminder of the entire region’s vulnerability to tropical events. There are a variety of quality of life issues that Jefferson must address to ensure its continued prosperity, but none is as vital to the future of the community as flood protection. It is a uniquely challenging issue as well, due to the cost and inherent complexity of creating first rate flood protection and drainage infrastructure. The best estimates for the cost of improving our present network of levees, flood control structures, pumps, and canals to withstand a “100- year” storm are on the order of $15 billion for the area, of which $7.1 billion has already been funded.

Aside from the tremendous cost, implementing these improvements in an expeditious manner is difficult because of the myriad federal, state, and local actors who must coordinate their efforts. In order for a single, major flood control project to be completed, Congress, the executive branch, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the newly created regional levee boards, the relevant local levee district, and parish government must all work in concert. As a result, flood protection presents a fundamentally different kind of quality of life challenge for Jefferson Parish in that Jefferson is not and cannot be solely responsible for setting policy, financing improvements, and implementing action items. Drainage issues require considerable external policy direction, external cooperation, and—perhaps most importantly—ample external resources.

In spite of these challenges, parish government and the levee boards have been tireless in their efforts to make significant improvements in all phases of flood protection both before and since Hurricane Katrina. Levees have been raised; permanent or interim improvements have been made to address the greatest vulnerabilities; pump stations have been upgraded; and redundant, backup systems have been installed. As a result of the plethora of projects that have been completed in the past two years, one can unequivocally say that Jefferson Parish now has a better drainage and flood protection system than it has ever had before.

In spite of these improvements, substantial gaps remain. Jefferson Parish is only now approaching the level of flood protection on the East and West Banks that had been statutorily authorized prior to Katrina. Even the most optimistic estimates for the construction of 100-year flood protection anticipate a completion date of 2011 at the earliest. More resilient protection from larger tropical events is even further away. 

Improving flood protection in Jefferson Parish is an especially challenging task for two reasons. First, it is the single most important issue for the security and continued prosperity of the community. Second, the funding and implementation to address this most critical issue are largely beyond the purview of local government. In this context, a forceful, focused advocacy campaign is the most powerful tool that the parish community has at its disposal.

The Jefferson EDGE 2020 Flood Protection Report has attempted to outline Jefferson’s specific needs for flood protection, with the hope that a broad array of political, business, and community leaders will be able to speak with a common message and deliver a common “ask” to the federal government. By elevating the community’s awareness of flood control issues beyond mere platitudes, this implementation plan will hopefully generate the momentum to build an even stronger system of flood protection in the near future.

View the full list of flood protection improvements

Flood Protection Status Report 1, March, 2009 (PDF - 5 Pages - 492 KB)

Flood Protection Status Report 2, October, 2009 (PDF - 5 Pages - 515 KB)

Download the full strategic implementation plan

Jefferson EDGE 2020 Strategic Implementation Plan - Flood Protection Report (PDF - 816 KB)