SCOTT, La. — Neighbors living along Coulee Mine on Pecan Grove Road, are worried about the future of their homes due to severe erosion impacting their properties.
Gerald Trahan a local resident, has experienced this firsthand, with a fallen tree damaging his home. He says the roots were no longer anchored because of the erosion.
"Constantly losing land over the erosion problems," Trahan said. "What it is it's starting to take our fences down, property away and even the neighbors having to haul in dirt just to keep up with it. It's very tough."
Other residents who live along the coulee reported losing up to 20 feet of their property.
KATC spent the day speaking with them and the main concerns are that the erosion, along with dredging and the spraying of poisons along the coulee to kill off debris, is rapidly depleting their land. They say that's leaving them to deal with a shifting landscape, the danger of falling trees, and the ongoing task of filling the sides of the coulee with dirt and rocks themselves. Some are even resorting to makeshift walls to secure the land they have left.
Scott Mayor Jan-Scott Richard responded to the concerns in a statement:
"We have implemented some erosion control measures in the area. Some of the property lines of the neighbors fall within the coulee, making them responsible for building a bulkhead or reestablishing the spoil bank. We routinely maintain a portion of the channel making sure water conveyance is optimal."
Despite these measures, residents are calling on the city to take further action. They are seeking to build some type of stabilization along the coulee to help mitigate flooding and preserve their properties as much as they can.
