The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-05-09
EXPERIMENT PROVES SUCCESS


Lafourche Boards New Levee Build
ing Plan Results in Big Saving
Over Contract system--usual
@ Cost Cut In Half. an
The Lafourche leYee board, in a
test of a new system of building
levees, decided upon about year
ago, has saved on one stretch of
levee less than four miles long, just
above WestWego, about ss23, GOO in
four months, says the New Orleans
Item.
The levee, 3.4 miles long, instead
of being let to contractors, was built
by a dredge constructed according to
plans evolved by state engineers for
the levee board, and the cost per GU
bic yard was a little less than half
the. average cost. OF "a cents charged
by contractors, being II Is cents.
The dredge built for the Lafourche
board is the only publicly owned
levee-building dredge in the state,
and cost, to put in operation, about
$500 It earned for the taxpayer
more than IS per cent of its cost
price in four months, beside placing
In the hands of che board ready
means for meeting emergencies when
levees have to be repaired in haste
to meet rising water.
The extraordinary success of the
plan as adopted BY the Lafourche
board, it is believed, viii largely in.
fluence leVee-bufIding throughout
the state and serve to bring about a
saving of hundreds of thousands of
dollars annually to 1eVee boards, and
consequently lessen the hurden. of
tAxation laid ols q property hufler
by the danger erff lows.
| ~ The Lafoure.as board, confreated
after the Hymelia crevasse of 1912
with a leVee situation serious In all
it's phases. found that under the old
system of letting out all work to con-
tractors innumerable delays and an
noyances had to be met. It was on
ly by the most strenuous efforts that
the levees were gotten in shape to
Withstand the high water of 1918.
Contractors, eager to obtain as
much work as possible, frequently
over estimated their capacity and
took on a heavier load than they
could carry, necessitating extra eff
fort ON the part of the board to get
needed work completed in time for
the spring rise and appreciably in
creasing the estimated cost of re-
pairing damage done by the high
water of 1912.
To eliminate these annoyances and
to put the board in position to meet
emergencies, it was suggested that
a dredge for building leyees be built
| by the board. This plan, after much
consideration, was adopted. It was
new and met with some opposition,
but after thorough investigation by
| the board it became evident to the
| members that the dredge would not
| increase the cost of building and
repairing levees under their control
and would place in their hands the
means Of meeting emergencies such
| as arose in 1913.
The dredge was built and put to
work above WestWego. With Sc the
operating crew has placed 154 1896 GU
bic yards of dirt in four months, an
average OF. 1900 yards for each work
ing day. The three-mlle stretch ol
levee has been built without delay
and with a minimum OF worry on ,the
| part of the board.
! John KIorer, assistant state engl,
neer, who supervised the constructor
OF the dredge, deciares at IS eisgel W
success than the BOARD had noped ioi
and that It IS proDapfe u zl oInel