Mandeville’s Golden Glen residents can breathe a little easier thanks to the temporary repairs made by parish officials to the Parc du Lac weir Friday afternoon.

St. Tammany Parish Director of Cultural and Public Affairs Suzanne Parsons-Stymiest said Parish President Kevin Davis declared a state of emergency Friday morning after officials spent most of Thursday observing the workings of the dam separating the residents of Golden Glen from the 2,000-foot retention pond. Emergency repairs ensued Friday with the installation of riffraff into the numerous holes that exposed the hollow interior under the weir. Parsons-Stymiest said engineers are confident this temporary fix will stabilize the structure until the parish can take full control of the dam.

The emergency fix came after the deteriorating weir sustained substantial damage from the record rainfalls the area recently saw. Because it’s a private subdivision, Parc du Lac is currently responsible for the dam, but the process began several months ago to dedicate the land to the parish so repairs could be made.

Homeowner Association President Bou Baldwin said after the dam was built in the 1980’s to control the amount of water flowing from the retention pond in Parc du Lac downstream to Golden Glen, the parish put restrictions on the structure, limiting the amount of water it could handle.

But since then, they didn’t follow their own regulations, Baldwin said.

“Two times subsequently over the years the parish diverted more water in there, so it’s not fair for us to fix the problem they created,” he said.

As a result of the additional load of water, the dam began crumbling several years ago, allowing water to pass freely under the structure instead of over it.

Parsons-Stymiest said the dedication process is still under way, but the parish has already begun a hydrology study of the drainage in the area.

“We need to understand better how water is moving through there and the impact of the changes to the highway,” she said, referring to the extensive U.S. Highway 190 construction work. “The road is changing the drainage patterns.”

She said after the dedication process is complete, the next step will be based on the results of the study.

Parsons-Stymiest also said no matter what the best method for repairing the dam will be, the parish plans to join forces with the city of Mandeville and split the costs of the dam because Golden Glen is in city limits and would ultimately endure the most impact if the structure should collapse completely.

“The parish engineer is hopeful we will be able to do the whole project and have it completed in four months,” Parsons-Stymiest said. “That is our best-case scenario.”