Splitsville

The Louisiana Senate voted 38-0 to pass a compromise bill consolidating the various levee boards into two separate boards.

In Boasso's measure, the eastern portion of the flood-protection authority would include St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes, plus the portions of Orleans and Jefferson parishes on the east bank of the river. The western portion would consist of west bank parts of Orleans and Jefferson parishes.

This may not be as good as the "super-board" that most people had been hoping would pass but I think it is an acceptable solution. What is important is that the existing levee boards will be disolved.

...the altered measure satisfies her top concerns about levee reform: that the new boards are staffed by scientists and that the boards focus only on flood control.

Unfortunately,

The plan's sponsor, Sen. Walter Boasso, agreed to split the new "super levee board" into eastern and western parts after getting tough opposition from west bank lawmakers unwilling to vote for a plan that would have dissolved their local levee board.

There is a certain logic to creating separate levee boards to deal with separate flood basins. This may work out but only if the boards don't continue or become way-stations and playgrounds for political cronies whose only interest is lining their or their friends pockets. The article doesn't address the make-up of the new Westbank board.

Stay tuned.