Over the last several months, Calcasieu Parish officials have talked about a proposed framework of policies to improve drainage parishwide, culminating with the Police Jury on Oct. 20 agreeing to move forward with the work.
Members of the Calcasieu Drainage Coalition are expected to meet for the first time Nov. 9 to discuss those policies and figure out which ones are the best for cities and unincorporated areas to implement. The informal coalition will be made up of officials from the parish, cities, gravity drainage districts and other entities. Other members will likely include planners, superintendents, engineers and officials with the state Department of Transportation and Development.
Allen Wainwright, the parish’s public works director, said the proposed policies address three main aspects — reducing stormwater runoff, protecting flood zones and building new structures to the right elevation. These components, he said, are a “nice solid start” to minimizing issues over the long term.
“In theory, the (coalition) will be able to put a common walking step on this thing,” Wainwright said. “They will establish a direction and come up with details in terms of ordinances, and maybe additional policies, that will accomplish those goals.”
Wainwright stressed the need for the coalition to weigh out the draft policies approved by the Police Jury. In total, the coalition will include 14 agencies and will likely meet regularly over the next 90 days.
“We need to have a good, honest discussion on what’s needed,” he said. “We want that direct input straight from the very people on the front line even as much or more than us.”
Once the coalition finishes its series of meetings and agrees on a set of drafts, Wainwright said they will be considered by the Police Jury’s Parishwide Drainage Liaison Committee. They will then head to full Police Jury for final approval and be applied to the unincorporated areas of the parish.
The decision won’t end with the Police Jury’s approval, according to Wainwright. He said other municipalities will be considering ordinances to eliminate any gaps between the parish and cities.
“There needs to be a similar set of policies if we’re truly going to work as a team,” Wainwright said.
Capital projects
The coalition will also meet quarterly to come up with a list of the most needed short-term capital improvement projects within the parish. He said there are at least 40 projects listed right now that may improve drainage. However, not all of them will be practical or affordable.
“There are going to be a lot of moving parts to that,” he said.
Wainwright said the Police Jury is looking to rededicate part of an existing parishwide property tax to drainage projects. He said the coalition will influence the priority list, which will then go before the Police Jury for final approval.
Wainwright has told police jurors that a list of the 10 most important capital projects should be ready by next spring. He said this will be a multi-year effort, with certain projects being prioritized on the list over time.
The drainage coalition will also meet after major disasters and emergencies.
Public feedback
The parish spent months gathering public input from open house meetings, public comment periods and more than a dozen stakeholder focus group sessions. A total of 138 comments were submitted to the parish, with residents stressing the need for the parish, cities and drainage districts to coordinate efforts, use existing funds wisely and focus on projects that would address current flooding problems.
Some of the changes made based on the feedback include reducing the detained storage volume from a 100-year storm to a 25-year storm. During a presentation earlier this month, Parish Administrator Bryan Beam said this was done because of concerns from stakeholders on the severity of cost impact. Also removed was a stipulation preventing development within the first 200 feet of the floodplain area.
During the Oct. 20 Police Jury meeting, Police Jury President Chris Landry said officials will continue to gather input from the public and stakeholders.
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