Working with the City
Since the June 6th flooding, the Garden District Civic Association has been working closely with neighbors and the City to get answers and resolutions.
On July 31, 2019, through the hard work of our neighbors on Cherokee Street, who have experienced flooding over the last two decades, we met with Fred Raiford and Kyle Huffstickler from the East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Transportation & Drainage and Darryl Gissel from the Office of the Mayor. Following the meeting the GDCA, in conjunction with active neighbors, continued to followup with the City to ensure steps were being taken to address issues with our drainage system.
With these concerns fully communicated, the City has been working to get us answers:
What we know has been done
- The City checked the drainage system on Government St. from Eugene to Acadian Thruway and did not find any sign of sediment or debris that would stop the flow of drainage
- DOTD inspectors have checked all drainage boxes on Government St. from I-110 to S. 22nd St. and all pipes on Government St. from I-110 to Park Blvd. They have identified 14th St. to Park as a problem area, and have cleared clogged pipes between 14th and 16th Streets.
What we know has not been done
- They have not checked any pipes and most boxes between Park and Eugene
- They have not checked the two box culverts near Eugene and Government (they say they will do this over the Thanksgiving holiday).
What we do NOT know
- They’ve “cleaned the Cherokee area” but we have not received specifics on what the “Cherokee area” entails.
- The overall pattern of subsurface drainage in the Garden District. We can reasonably infer from statements from the city that some of the Garden District drains east to Dawson’s Creek and some drains west to Corporation Canal, but again, we do not know which areas drain in which direction.
- We do not know the geographic scope of “the Cherokee area.” Based on the number of drains around the Garden District that do not drain at all or are backed up, a comprehensive inspection of subsurface drainage is still needed. It is not likely “the Cherokee area” includes all of these drains.
In short: Some things have been done, some things are scheduled to be done, and more will need to be done to ensure all existing drainage in the Garden District is functioning as it is designed to function.
Hurricane season is not over! Drainage is a top priority for the GDCA board, and we will continue to monitor it.
To help us, please report drainage and flooding to 311. Download The Red Stick 311 app on Apple and Android devices.. It is so easy! Snap a photo, enter the information, and it will be logged in the City’s database. If we are not reporting it then there is no record.
The Garden District is also keeping their own drainage log. Please report drainage and flooding issues to gdcabr.org/contact-us.
