VIDALIA — A Concordia Parish delegation is headed to Washington, D.C., to discuss water-based issues — Ferriday water, the Vidalia port and Cocodrie Bayou.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland, Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin and Concordia Economic Director Heather Malone are leaving on the trip Monday to talk with the local congressional delegation about possible funding to address the issues each presents, Malone said.

The mayors are there to lobby for their projects, and Malone’s presence will be to explain from an economic standpoint why those projects need to be pushed through, Malone said.

McGlothin’s reason for the trip is to convince the congressional leaders to appropriate the money he needs to fix Ferriday’s water system problems and get the town off a boil-water notice.

Even after quality of life considerations, Ferriday’s water problems have a huge economic impact, Malone said.

“You’ve got to worry about losing business, and new business — with a water situation like that, (recruiting business) is a tough job,” Malone said.

Copeland said he wants to take the message that the state has shown its support for the proposed freshwater loading and unloading facility.

That support has come in a $750,000 appropriation from the recent capital outlay bill to run utilities to the Vidalia Industrial Park and to the port, Copeland said.

“We want to show (congressional leaders) how the state has started the process of working with us,” Copeland said.

The federal government is more inclined to support a project if the state has shown its support for the project, he said.

The economic argument Malone said she would take for the port is that it will create opportunities for existing businesses and serve as an incentive to bring future businesses.

Congressman Rodney Alexander and Sen. Mary Landrieu have already placed appropriations for the port in the U.S. transportation bill, and Malone said that seed money could kick-start the project.

“We wouldn’t need all of the money upfront,” she said.

“Once we get some dirt turned, we can apply for other types of funding through the state, like port priority funding.”

To get port priority funding, however, the port has to exist in some form, she said.

“It is always easier to get funding once you have started a project,” Malone said.

Malone will also act as a representative for the Concordia Parish Police Jury when discussing Cocodrie Bayou and the drainage problems it is causing the parish.

Specifically, she said she would ask for funding for a study that will eventually lead to the jury getting the permits they need to clear the bayou, which is the parish’s main drainage outlet.

Because of debris buildup in the bayou, it doesn’t drain properly, causing minor flooding problems in many parts of the parish.

“From Ferriday’s water to Cocodrie Bayou, these are basic infrastructure needs,” Malone said. “If we don’t have basic infrastructure, how are we going to recruit business?”

Others who are going on the trip include Vidalia City Manager Ken Walker and Vidalia Chamber of Commerce Director Jamie Burley.

Burley said she will be going because of her familiarity with the port project — she was the executive assistant at the Concordia Parish Economic and Industrial District until earlier this month — and to hand-deliver letters from local bank presidents about concerns they have about proposed banking regulations.