By VICKIE JAMBON – Staff Reporter

HAHNVILLE – Judge Ruche J. Marino has filed a lawsuit in the 29th Judicial District Court suing St. Charles Parish for flood damage to his home.

The suit, filed on behalf of Marino’s family, claims two pumps in Norco could not handle all the floodwater resulting from 9 inches of rain that fell on April 25 and 26.

In the court document, Marino said water that runs into Clayton Pond was not handled by a pump located at the corner of West Spruce and the Spillway.

The pond lies next to his property at 821 Marino Drive.

He says there are no valves controlling water that flows into the pond and that a culvert provided for the pond has been clogged since he reported it to the parish one year ago.

The document goes on to say, “…Ruche J. Marino reported this to the parish and was assured that the pipe was cleaned but was not in fact cleaned. The drainage pipe under US 61 for Clayton Pond collapsed.”

A new levee being constructed on the north side of US 61 constricted water at the time of the rains, building up debris in the gaps of the levee, according to the lawsuit. The suit says water not moving as it should created a 5 foot impoundment over Norco.

“The parish has altered the water in such a fashion that everything has been blocked and could not move thereby causing everything to flood…,” says Marino in his filed court papers.

Marino says water flowed from the pond onto his property flooding the property 15 to 24 inches and that larger culverts on the north side allowed more water to go to the pump at the Spillway and more water to enter the pond through underground culverts. Someone released the built-up debris by the Hurricane Protection Levee allowing even more water to enter the pond, alleges Marino’s suit.

Marino put in his suit that the parish is negligent in allowing this whole situation to take place.

He said his swimming pool pumps and equipment were destroyed and that his swimming pool filled with pond water. Other personal property listed as destroyed by Marino in the suit were a hot tub, boat motors, a hot water heater, carpeting, furniture and miscellaneous items. The suit also lists many possessions as being damaged, such as walls in Marino’s home as well as Marino’s back porch.

A complaint in the lawsuit even went so far as to say floodwater caused snakes and alligators to come onto Marino’s property.