IBERIA PARISH — Iberia Parish government recently completed the Peebles Coulee flood control structure, the latest step in a broader effort to shield coastal communities from tidal flooding driven by Gulf of Mexico water levels.
The parish sits along the Louisiana coast and regularly contends with tidal flooding. When drainage canals are already near capacity, heavy rainfall can quickly overwhelm the system and displace water into surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.
Parish President M. Larry Richard said the new structure is designed to keep drainage channels as clear as possible so they can absorb rainfall when it arrives.
"What we're trying to do is keep the channels with the least amount of water as possible. Those channels used to stay— I don't know— [at] 80% capacity. So whenever a big rain would come, you only had 20% [left over]... it was cresting, and it was displacing all over the area."
Richard said the flooding problem is not limited to storms or heavy rain. High tides pushing water in from the Gulf are a persistent concern, even on calm, clear days.
"It's a drainage concern, but it's really dealing more with the water that's infiltrating into the parish from the Gulf of Mexico. This is not hurricanes, this is high tides that are coming in, pushing this water into us."
He said residents can find themselves flooded simply because of wind direction and tide levels, regardless of weather conditions.
"We're just trying to get it to where when a high tide is coming in, we're trying to protect the people from having to worry about going to their home this evening, with it being 80 degrees— the sun is shining, but the problem is you've got a south wind, so you're flooded getting to your home."
The Peebles Coulee structure protects the coastal area from Delcambre to Patoutville. Richard said the completed structure gives the parish 50% more drainage capacity than it previously had in the affected area.
"We're trying to protect the people that live along the coast— not only the people, not only the residents, but the business owners as well. When you have a big rain, you have 50% more capacity than you had in the past, which is a big deal for Iberia Parish since we sit on the coast."
The structure is part of the parish's Coastal Protection Master Plan. Richard said the parish has now completed three of the plan's 10 flood control structures, with seven remaining. He said he hopes to complete the full master plan within the next year and a half, before the end of his term in office.
