Transcript HNTB Corporation 2006 Business Environment Update 2006 Key

House Concurrent Resolution 171 (2010)
Levee District Oversight Planning Study
Report to the Senate and House Committees on
Transportation, Highways, and Public Works
April 6, 2011
GARRET GRAVES
Chairman
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
SHERRI LEBAS
Secretary
Department of Transportation and Development
HCR 171 (2010)
• Urges and requests the Department of Transportation and
Development (DOTD) to study the impact of expanding the Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) territorial jurisdiction
to include any levee district that is not in the coastal area.
• Requires DOTD to report the results of the study at a public hearing of
the Senate and House Committees on Transportation, Highways, and
Public Works meeting prior to the convening of the 2011 regular
legislative session.
HCR 171 (2010) – cont.
The resolution provided the following rationale as justification for the
study:
– The CPRA is charged with oversight of the design, construction,
extension, improvement, repair, and regulation of hurricane
protection and flood control projects in the coastal area.
– The inspection of hurricane protection and flood control levees and
structures within the coastal area is also the responsibility of
OCPR.
– The jurisdiction of the CPRA currently includes only those levee
districts within the coastal area of the state.
Approach and Methodology
•
Engaged SSA Consultants and the HNTB Corporation to conduct the study
•
Interviewed stakeholders across the state, including legislators, levee district
board members and personnel, and leadership in state and federal agencies
•
Held three public hearings: Houma, Monroe, and Natchitoches
•
Performed legal research to identify statutory roles and responsibilities of
DOTD, CPRA, the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR), and
levee districts
•
Conducted desk audits of key units and staff charged with flood protection and
levee inspection for the state
•
Conducted a quantitative evaluation of the current structure and potential
alternative scenarios
Background: Transition in the Coastal Area
•
DOTD’s Office of Public Works in existence since 1940 to provide for flood control
and water management, including support for levee districts
•
Recognition of the importance of integrated coastal planning and project
implementation following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
•
CPRA created in 2005 to develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive coastal
protection and restoration master plan
•
CPRA Implementation Team established in Act 545 of 2008 to coordinate the relevant
missions of DOTD, DNR, and the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities
•
The Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration (OCPR) consolidated hurricane flood
protection and coastal restoration responsibilities in the coastal area of Louisiana in
2009
•
DOTD transferred 43 full-time equivalent personnel and $4 million in the current fiscal
year to OCPR for these functions in the coastal area
Major Findings
• CPRA represents the state’s position in policy implementation for
coastal protection and restoration in the coastal area – There is no
similar entity over flood protection for north Louisiana.
• Water knows no geographic boundaries. There is a real need to
coordinate the flood protection system across the state for a statewide
approach, but also to relay concerns, challenges, and plans to the
federal government.
Major Findings (cont.)
• The traditional leveraging of DOTD engineering, surveying, and other
resources has provided a cost-effective solution for the state and local
entities.
• To replicate these resources by expanding CPRA’s jurisdiction to
north Louisiana would require a significant investment in manpower,
equipment, and resources at all levels.
• In both the coastal area and in north Louisiana, some levee districts
require and receive a significantly higher level of support than others
due to more severe or potentially critical needs coupled with a lack of
available local revenues. Pursuant to statutory mandates, the state
provides this support.
Major Findings (cont.)
•
Levee districts and public officials place a high value on the current structure and
processes for day-to-day operational support by the state.
•
Throughout the interview process, there was little support voiced by key
stakeholders to expand the territorial jurisdiction of the CPRA to include levee
districts in north Louisiana.
•
Stakeholders are concerned with such a transition and the ultimate outcome as it
relates to service provision.
– North Louisiana stakeholders were concerned they would be of lower priority
within a CPRA structure created to address coastal issues; they also recognized
that levee systems are different in the north (riverine) and the south
(hurricane).
– South Louisiana stakeholders wish to maintain a coastal focus within the
CPRA and were concerned that dollars and resources would be diverted to
projects beyond this mission.
Recommendations
1. DOTD should retain public works and water resources responsibilities
(dam safety, national flood insurance program, statewide flood control, etc.)
including levee district oversight and operational and engineering support
for non-coastal levee districts.
2. OCPR should retain and perform levee district oversight and operational
and engineering support for coastal levee districts.
• DOTD and OCPR should continue the transition of services and
functions from DOTD to OCPR in the coastal area.
3. The state should establish a policy, governance, and oversight board to
oversee non-coastal levee districts (similar to the CPRA in the coastal area).
Next Steps
1. Revisit statutory responsibilities, some of which are over a half a century
old.
2. Organizational structure improvements within DOTD at Headquarters and
within the Districts
3. Establish an Interagency Working Group between OCPR and DOTD to
further collaborate, monitor performance, prioritize needs, and solve
problems and issues.
Questions and Discussion