Officials break ground on levee repairs

As a result of a group effort by C.J. Baricevic, a dozen slides on the Fort de Chartres levee will be repaired at no cost to the levee district.

On Oct. 21, a group of company and agency officials gathered about a half mile away from Fort de Chartres to break ground on the project, which is not to be confused with the Prairie du Rocher Levee project.

Prairie du Rocher is still in the process of raising funds for re-certification and repairs of its levee.

For the past few years, including the New Year's Flood last winter, the levee has received some damage.

While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers felt that repairs for the levee were not critical at this time, and that the levee is not currently at risk, the agency did note that if repairs were not made eventually, these issues could cause a problem if not addressed.

Levee Commissioner Mark Laurent noted the levee district only gets around $50,000 each year in taxes, but most of that money is used to pay for mowing, normal upkeep and minor repairs.

The levee district can't afford more expensive fixes.

The cost of this repair work was estimated at $2 million to $3 million if completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but will be done at no cost as all of the work, materials and equipment have been donated.

Among those donating their time and services are: Mississippi Lime, Operating Engineers Local 520, Labor Local 196, Kamadulski Excavating and Grading LLC and Lloyd Brown Trucking.

The estimated cost of the donated earthwork services is around $100,000, with Mississippi Lime donating 250 to 275 tons of calcium hydroxide - which is used to help bind the soil on the levee - for the project.

While the slides are being repaired, Laurent did note that the levee district will still need approximately $750,000 in the future to do the work on drainage pipes.