August 5 , 2021
ULL Civil Engineering Department Lafayette, LA
Several members of the Board of Directors of Dredge the Vermilion (DTV) met with ULL Professor Civil Engineering Professor Dr. Emad Habib who is head of the Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at ULL.
Dr. Habib led the Vermilion River modeling project for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 2019 and 2020. The object of the meeting was to discuss a proposed channel training weir project for the confluence of the Vermilion River and Coulee Ill des Cannes (CIDC). Attending for DTV was Harold Schoeffler, Dave Dixon, Bob Hammack, Darrell Fontenot and Brent Logan. This project concept was developed by DTV Vice President Harold Schoeffler after he encountered like structures on a trip down the Mississippi River a few years ago. DTV believes this project would successfully address a “water dam” that forms at the river-coulee confluence during large rainfall events. This water dam blocks drainage from the north as CIDC flows dominate the river’s channel during a flood event. The proposed weir project has been discussed with engineers at the USACE and they advised that we have Dr. Habib and ULL model the effect of installing the weir in the river to validate the concept and to ensure the weir does no harm downstream. Much open debate took place, questions asked , answers given, and ideas exchanged during the meeting. If ULL agrees to model the project DTV will begin to raise funding for this modeling effort.
Also discussed at the meeting was the spoil bank removal project in Cypress Island for which Dr. Habib and ULL did the modeling. As per the model runs this project would reduce crests during certain flood events by up to 0.8 foot. During the 2016 flood event 70% or homes flooded had less than 1 foot of water. The project was originally identified and proposed by DTV and will be one of the most cost effective flood mitigation projects constructed after the 2016 event. LCG has funded and designed the project and applied for a permit from the USACE. The project awaits USACE permit approval as of the date of this writing.
DTV presented an update on our efforts in the watershed during the meeting. Additionally, we discussed several ongoing projects and some proposals for projects by DTV. A point of discussion was the connection between the eastern Cypress Island swamp and the river and the Bayou Teche.
ULL Professor Dr. Emad Habib and DTV President Dave Dixon Brainstorm Potential Projects to Reduce Flooding Risks