Orange Public Works Director Jim Wolf said the city has contingency plans for riverfront development in the case of construction of levees for a flood protection system.
The plan to adjust to a levee system could cost $10 million to $12 million and the city would seek government grants, Wolf said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced a total of $3.9 billion in federal money is designated for a “coastal spine” system of flood control. The money will pay for three projects, including 26.7 miles of levees and seawalls across the southern park of Orange County along the Sabine River. The Orange county part is estimated to cost $1.93 billion.
The city has a boardwalk and performance pavilion along the river in downtown, plus a boat ramp park on the river off Simmons Drive.
Wolf said cities like Morgan City, Louisiana, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, have waterfront developments and levees on rivers. He said a levee can be built with a gate opening. The opening allows a roadway or way to the river. The gate can be closed in case of a flood or storm surge. He said FM 365 in Jefferson County goes through a levee there and has a gate.
The corps of engineers has a design with elevations needed along points of the river. Wolf said the height of the levees would be based on how high the land is above sea level.
He said most of the city is six to eight feet above sea level. If the corps of engineers design says a 16-foot elevation at a point that is eight feet above sea level, the levee or wall itself would be eight feet tall.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
Social Media