By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John Council on Tuesday approved a measure to further improve sewer drainage in the LaPlace and Reserve areas.

The council voted unanimously to allow the St. John administration to begin the bid process for a new booster pumping station that will help move sewage through Reserve and LaPlace. The council also voted to allow URS Engineers to assist the parish throughout the bidding and contracting phases of the project.

St. John Chief Administrative Officer Pat McTopy said Tuesday that the new pumping station is the second phase in a project to improve sewer drainage on the east bank of the parish — the first being improvements to the Za Montz lift station, which were completed last year.

“Sewage has been pumped from Reserve to LaPlace for several years,” McTopy said. “This new booster pump will allow for a more efficient flow.”

St. John Public Information Officer Buddy Boe said the booster pump would be built along River Road in Reserve on property owned by the Dow/ DuPont plant. A series of pipes will connect the new booster pump to the Za Montz Lift Station on Airline Highway, which handles sewage from Reserve and Garyville.

McTopy said the projected cost of the pump station is about $1.5 million. He said the parish has the funds to do the work and said the funding is coming from the existing sales tax account reserved for public works projects.