VIDALIA — Local leaders met with federal representatives Wednesday to discuss Concordia Parish’s flooding issues.

Following Hurricane Gustav, much of Concordia Parish saw minor flooding related after the parish’s main drainage artery, Cocodrie Bayou, backed up and did not allow the water to flow to the south of the parish, where a pumping station could have removed it.

Along with the rest of the parish, the Vidalia Canal and the canals out of Ferriday also drain into the Cocodrie.

Those present at the meeting included three police jurors, two local mayors, representatives from the offices of U.S. Congressman Rodney Alexander and U.S. Senator David Vitter, engineers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a representative from Rigmasters, which operates the pumping station.

Because Cocodrie Bayou is a designated scenic river, what can be done to improve the drainage by way of debris removal is limited, but Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said the group decided to begin applying for the necessary permits to do what they can.

That meant finishing the applications by 5 p.m. Wednesday, which was the last day to send them in, Ferrington said.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said everyone is going to have to work together, because Ferriday does not have the equipment to do all of the necessary clearing out of Lake Concordia, the bayou and the canals on 10th Street and on Louisiana 15.

“In one place, there is an old wooden railroad bridge that has caved in,” McGlothin said. “Anybody can look in there and see if we cleared that out, it would flow more clearly.”

But McGlothin was equally empathic about following proper procedure and getting the appropriate permits.

“I still want to keep it as scenic and rustic as possible, because I would like to see some boating attractions in there some day.”

Funding for the project should come hand-in-hand with the permits, which have to be issued by Congress, and that was why the congressional delegation was invited, he said.

“They said they would do everything they could,” Ferrington said. “The funding would have to come through congressional appropriations.”

Though everyone involved wants to see things done quickly, Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland said he would also be happy with getting things done a little bit at a time over a five to 10-year timeframe.

“We have discussed these issues in the past and the only time that we really had major discussions pertaining to drainage is when we had issues like what occurred with Gustav,” he said. “What we are looking for hopefully is permanent solutions in the future.”

Part of the reason Copeland said he thinks things may take a while is because other areas will be requesting the same kind of funding.

And Ferrington said that is exactly why he hopes to set up a joint meeting with the Catahoula and Tensas Parish police juries next week to discuss the drainage issue. Both of those parishes also saw extensive flooding after nearly two feet of rain were dumped on the area.

“I think it will give us a little more leverage with the congressmen in Washington, D.C., to get some of the funding to do some of these projects if we are all working together,” Ferrington said.

Other ideas suggested at the meeting included putting gates in the large weir at Wild Cow Bayou or reconstructing a smaller weir in Cocodrie in a way that would allow it to open and close.

“You could open it before you get to a high water level and let the water get out of there fast,” Ferrington said.