Rita Washington, 71, moved to a rental house on a quiet street outside Donaldsonville's historic district for her retirement across the street from Bayou Lafourche.
She finds herself at virtually ground zero of a dusty, loud and pile-driving construction site on the waterway tied to a new pump station being built on the Mississippi River battue a few blocks from her house.
The new station will triple the capacity of pumps that send fresh water from the Mississippi down Bayou Lafourche needed to halt saltwater intrusion in coastal marshes, ensure a fresh drinking water for 300K+ people in the Houma and Thibodaux areas and to provide water to Port Fourchon, state officials say.
The project requires regular pile-driving so loud that some residents say measures up to 100 decibels - above the city limit of 85 during daytime and evening hours until 10 p.m. The city law, however, exempts sanctioned government activities.
Residents have complained the jackhammering threatens the integrity of historic homes.
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for the work doesn't hold the company to a decibel level, but Corps officials said the company voluntarily agreed to a Corps vibration standard.
However, the new $96M pump station construction doesn't directly benefit Donaldsonville residents.
The entire project isn't expected to be operational until October 2025. (NOLA.com 12/26/23)
Resident video of the vibrations: https://youtube.com/shorts/1pcWtrkyIKY?feature=share
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