Serious allegations from St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars, against LCG over flood control.
Cedars is accusing Lafayette Consolidated Government of removing spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St. Martin Parish without permission.
The concern an effort to mitigate a flood threat in Lafayette could make it worse in St. Martin Parish.
Cedars says there could be consequences for LCG.
"The removal of the spoil banks poses no risk of additional flooding to Lafayette Parish. The same can't be said relative to St. Martin parish,” said Cedars.
Last summer, LCG requested a permit from the U.S. Corps of Engineers to remove spoil banks along the Vermilion River in St.Martinville.
"LCG ultimately withdrew that application for a permit from the U.S. Corps. It's our understanding the withdrawal of that permit was to afford an additional opportunity to do additional modeling and to have further discourse with St. Martin Parish government because we with many other residents of the areas affected by this project had voiced numerous rejection objections to it,” said Cedars.
But according to Cedars, the spoil banks were removed this week.
"It is extremely frustrating period. It is extremely upsetting not only to my office and my administration but to the constituents and the public who I serve. We're entitled to better treatment. Governments need to work together. This is not working together,” Cedars added.
Cedars says he was contacted by LCG.
“I spoke to the chief administrator for LCG on Tuesday. He confirmed two things, one that the spoil banks had been removed and two he had not given St. Martin Parish government any advance notice thereof. And offered a very hollow apology,” said Cedars.
It's unclear if LCG had a permit to do the work.
We reached out to LCG and the Army Corps of Engineers and we're waiting to hear back.
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