The ongoing hot topic of the Armenco Canal’s improvement projects will be discussed again at Wednesday’s Iberia Parish Council meeting.

The council will vote on a resolution to accept a recommendation from George Glaubrecht, an engineer who performed a study on the canal, on how to fix the drainage problems

Glaubrecht said he believes the best option is to re-establish an outfall, or discharge point, to the Bayou Teche by replacing pipes in the West End Park to flow into a large, concrete square pipe near Jane Street and into the Teche.

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The plan calls for a floodgate to be installed so Armenco Canal water can be blocked from flowing into Bayou Teche if its water level is too high, and would also allow Bayou Teche to flow into Armenco Canal if necessary. The project would cost an estimated $5.6 million.

Councilwoman Maggie Daniels, who is introducing the resolution, said the council already has $1.6 million allotted to the project, and must take action on an improvement plan to receive state and federal money for the work.

“It’s time to break ground,” Daniels said. “We can do this in phases, which doesn’t mean that if we start the project the flooding will be alleviated immediately, but I’ll be excited when we break ground.”

Part of Glaubrecht’s study found the canal’s drainage also largely depended on the cleaning and maintenance of pipes and drainage within the city of New Iberia. Daniels said she was told the work within the city has been addressed.

“They’ve completed what they need to do, so we need to do something,” she said.

In other business, Bruce Conque, who works for the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, will address the council to discuss the Interstate 49 project.

Conque said there has been some concern from Baton Rouge about disagreement on whether the I-49 project is a priority over a proposed expressway project.

He said the I-49 project is the top priority, and he will address all councils along the proposed I-49 line to ask them to reaffirm support for the project to ease concerns from the state government. The proposed project would start directly south of I-10 and end at Morgan City.

“The whole idea is to send the message to Baton Rouge that we are united and the top priority is I-49,” Conque said.