Squeezing through the lock

New threat to Miss. River ports 

This 3-D visualization shows a new threat to navigation at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It’s a scour hole at an outlet known as Burrwood Bayou that’s gotten deeper in recent years. This view, constructed from multi-beam sonar surveys, was taken when depths reached about 130 feet in March 2003. On this view, the river runs from left to right, with the scour hole beginning just above the main ship channel and extending vertically. Read more on the hole and how the Corps is handling it. Gray areas at top are surface photos; colors are the multi-beam survey. Photos.

Ready for 2004's Rains 

A $61.7 million, four-project system has been completed in New Orleans in time for spring rains and the hurricane season. New covered canals–underground box culverts–were added that totaled 5,790 feet long. And pump station capacity was enlarged accordingly. A partnership of the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board built the system over five years. This Napoleon Avenue scene is an example of what residents faced in that time to get better flood protection. More photos.  

Digging a land-building channel 

A dredge cuts a channel to divert sediment into West Bay, near the Mississippi River’s mouth (map). It’s the first large-scale diversion of sediment and fresh water into Louisiana’s coastal marshes. This interim channel was completed in November, and the 2004 high-water season will put it to work. If it’s successful, a larger channel with more than twice the flow will be cut. The project is designed to restore 10,000 acres of wetlands just south of Venice. West Bay project fact sheet and more photos.

Anti-wetness machine 

Pumping water out faster is the goal of the SELA rainflood project in the New Orleans area, and that requires more pumping capacity. The heart of a new pump at Elmwood Pump Station in Metairie is this 11-foot diameter impeller. Bobby Porche, foreman for installation contractor Universal Compression of Houma, works with Mike Steagall, right, the Corps’ SELA Jefferson Parish project engineer. The Elmwood expansion’s two new pumps will move 2,400 cubic feet per second, a 71 percent increase. As viewed, the impeller rotates counter-clockwise, pushing water (left) into Lake Pontchartrain. Partners on the estimated $16.5-million project are the Corps and Jefferson Parish.

Not just plantations 

Evergreen Plantation, on the Mississippi River between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is a great example of the river plantations. These structures, however, are only part of the Mississippi Valley’s varied cultural and natural heritage. For example, the river formed much of coastal Louisiana, and now must be used to save it. To foster interpretation of these resources, a conference is set Oct. 7-9 at the Old U.S. Mint New Orleans. Other topics will include African-American influence on the valley's culture, jazz and planning for interpretation. Participants will learn state-of-the-art techniques to accomplish their interpretive objectives. See program and register here.

Atchafalaya cypress 

We value the Atchafalaya Basin for natural wonders such as these cypress trees and as a floodway in the Mississippi River and Tributaries System. We hope to begin construction in 2004 on the basin’s Buffalo Cove Water Management Unit to enhance fish and wildlife by improving circulation. The project’s 75-page environmental assessment is now available on disc or paper by calling 504-862-2524. Buffalo Cove is described in the fact sheet for the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System project. 

Hurricane cover 

Emergency hurricane protection was replaced or repaired on Grand Isle in mid-July by the Corps. Clay and broken concrete were emplaced to form a 2,275-foot temporary embankment. Corps hired labor unit workers, above, tug a protective plastic sheet, or geotextile, to prepare for laying it over clay freshly emplaced on their Gulf of Mexico side.  From left, Willie Harris, Unit D, and Troy Davis and Trent Lartigue, both Unit C.

Sandbagging Bill

Emergency sandbagging for Tropical Storm Bill is inspected on a rainy June 30 by Diane Callahan, a project engineer for the Corps’ SELA rainflood project. Sandbags were placed where a portion of the floodwall had been removed temporarily for a Jourdan Road bypass. Orleans Levee District furnished sandbags. They were placed by levee district and Corps of Engineers employees. This SELA project involves enlarging the Dwyer Road Pump Station and its discharge tubes into New Orleans’ Industrial Canal. New 84-inch discharge tubes awaiting installation are in the background. Corps’ Hurricane & Emergency page. Click to view briefing for emergency .

Making N.O. canal safer

A Corps of Engineers crew installs mooring buoys (news release) on the Industrial Canal, also known as the Industrial Canal, in New Orleans. The black chain anchors the buoys. The Corps installed the nine buoys in April for vessels waiting to transit the Industrial Canal Lock . They will protect the bank line exposed after demolition of the Galvez Street Wharf, completed in February as part of the Industrial Canal Lock Replacement Project. High water on the Mississippi can force vessels to wait 24 hours or longer to lock through. Mooring, meanwhile, is safer than nosing into the canalside. Crew members are from Hired Labor Unit A, from left, Owens Williams, Edgar Hall, Adam McFarlain and Stephen Simmons.

Earth Day observance

cypress stand in the Atchafalaya Basin illustrates the meaning of Earth Day, whose observance is April 22, including events at New Orleans District. The Corps is helping the environment and flood control by purchasing 388,000 acres in the Atchafalaya Basin, either outright, or in easements for environmental protection and developmental control. Earth Day observances at district headquarters will begin at 6:30 a.m. with a bird identification contest. At 10 the agenda shifts to the District Assembly Room, including a nutria cook-off judging. Earth Day poster and Chief of Staff’s message. For Corps’ role, click “Environment” pull down on left side of this page.

N.O. hurricane bridge

Workers smooth the concrete deck on a Filmore Avenue bridge in New Orleans, which is being entirely replaced for hurricane protection. Reopening of the span over the London Avenue Canal is expected about June 1. Continuing rains have delayed it and other construction projects. This is one of two bridges over the London canal being replaced by James Construction Group LLC for the Corps of Engineers and local partner Orleans Levee District. The Mirabeau Avenue Bridge, one-quarter mile to the south, will be closed for replacement once Filmore Avenue is reopened to traffic. See Hurricane & Emergency page here.

Passing the test

Marsh is restored successfully just above Head of Passes (a) near the Mississippi River’s mouth. The Corps of Engineers conducted the dredging demonstration as a CWPPRA project. The dredge Beachbuilder (b) uses a 700-foot flexible hose, connected to an anchor barge (c) to maneuver and avoid the area’s heavy ship traffic. The material was next pumped two miles upstream to a second anchor barge (d) and then ashore, restoring 40 acres of marsh (e). The Corps hopes to use this dredging technology as one tactic to help restore the coast. More photos.         

Where the waters will meet

This underground drainage manifold, analogous to a highway interchange, will receive rainwater from three directions (bottom, left and right) and smoothly route it in a fourth direction (top). It's in New Orleans at Napoleon and South Claiborne, part of the SELA rainflood drainage project . Beginning in mid-2004, the manifold is expected eventually to combine water from four underground culverts and direct it into three. It is a key feature of a $14.5 million contract. Inspecting are Tim Roth, SELA Orleans Parish resident engineer (left) and Stan Green, SELA senior project manager. SELA brochures here .

Hurricane Bridge

Chris Wagner, right, Corps of Engineers' construction representative, is with Bill Ray, a Meyers Engineers construction inspector, at the Hammond Highway bridge, which links New Orleans and Metairie over the 17th Street Canal. The 2-lane bridge is being replaced by a 4-lane hurricane-protection bridge. Weather permitting, completion is expected in about December 2003. A hurricane bridge is also being constructed at Filmore Avenue on the London Avenue Canal. They are the seventh and eighth of 10 New Orleans-area bridges being rebuilt for hurricane protection. The Corps' hurricane-protection maps are here.

Listening to Port

Dominic Izzo, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army (civil works), hears out Gary LaGrange, executive director of the Port of New Orleans, at the Industrial Canal Lock. At rear, center, is the Corps of Engineers' Ron Elmer, project engineer. During a late July visit, the secretary was briefed on construction of the replacement lock, the SELA rainflood project in the New Orleans area, and the Louisiana Coastal Area study by the multi-agency Coastal Restoration Team. Izzo also viewed Louisiana wetlands by helicopter.

Change of Command

Col. Peter J. Rowan (left) receives the Army Corps of Engineers flag from Brig. Gen. Edwin J. Arnold Jr., Mississippi Valley Division commander, in a change of command ceremony July 12 at the New Orleans District headquarters. Rowan became the 57th district engineer, assuming command from Col. Thomas F. Julich. The passing of the command flag by the next senior commander symbolizes the transfer of command responsibility. See Rowan's biography.

SELA upgrades pumping

The Corps of Engineers and local sponsor Jefferson Parish are adding (right) 2,400 cubic feet per second to the capacity of Pump Station No. 3 at the Elmwood Canal and Lake Pontchartrain (top) in Metairie. The expansion is part of the $647-million SELA rain-flood control project. Completion of the expansion is scheduled for Sept. 30, 2002. Top: New hurricane breakwater by Corps and East Jefferson Levee District.

New SELA Pump Station

The Gen. John Newton was a common sight on the lower Mississippi River for almost 60 years, serving as a work boat for the Corps of Engineers until 1957. Its steam engine with 32-inch cylinders is in the possession of the New Orleans Steamboat Co., which operates the sternwheeler Natchez today. Heritage preservation and tourism, and related topics will be discussed at the Third Randall L. Gibson Mississippi River Heritage Tourism Conference, Nov. 29, at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans.

Dust Protection

To protect workers and the neighborhood, dust is hosed down regularly in demolition of the Galvez Street Wharf.   The $2.6 demolition project is an early stage of the $603 million project to modernize and replace the Industrial Canal Lock in New Orleans.   The claw machine, lower right, is demolishing the wharf shed.

Demolishing Galvez Wharf

Demolition has begun on the Galvez Street Wharf, part of the $603 million replacement of the Industrial Canal Lock in New Orleans.  The claw machine is pulling down the obsolete wharf’s cargo shed as part of a $2.6 million contract.  The worker in the bucket, upper right, is poised to hose down dust to protect workers and the neighborhood.

Day of Prayer and Remembrance

New Orleans District team members gather in front of the headquarters building to pray for the thousands who died in the recent terrorist attacks on the United States. The brief ceremony included prayers, a moment of silence and the ringing of the district’s bell in response to the President’s call for a “national day of prayer and remembrance.

District Engineer Col. Thomas Julich and a gathering of employees observe a moment of silence on the national Day of Prayer and Remembrance, Sept. 14, for victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks. Three district members have been called up in the disaster, driving vehicles for the Corps' Deployable Tactical Operations to New York City. Others on standby include structural engineers, urban search and rescue personnel, quality assurance inspectors, and emergency managers. The district's debris team is also on alert.

Memento of appreciation from the Sierra Club

Charles Fryling, chairman of the Sierra Club Atchafalaya Basin Committee, gets a helping hand from U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu in presenting a gift Aug. 8 to the Corps of Engineers for obtaining 50,000 acres of wilderness land for public use. The acquisition was a major environmental and recreational achievement for the Corps in Louisiana. The Atchafalaya Basin, located in south-central Louisiana, extends 800,000 acres between Simmesport and Morgan City. It is the nation's largest river basin swamp.

New Orleans District Real Estate members (l. to r.: Marco Rosamano, Yvonne Barbier, former Division Chief Clyde Sellers, Acting Chief Bill Lewis, Linda Labure, Deanna Walker and District Engineer Col. Thomas Julich) are all smiles after the Sierra Club on Aug. 8 presented the Corps of Engineers a framed memento of appreciation. The group was responsible for acquiring 50,000 acres of wilderness land for public use and negotiating 144,000 acres of easement property. The land acquisition allows the Corps to preserve the basin's natural environment and control development.

Demolition on Industrial Canal

Hamp's Construction LLC of New Orleans demolishes an abandoned building in the East Bank Industrial Area on the Industrial Canal in New Orleans. Hamp's is a subcontractor in a $22.4 million environmental clean up and clearance of industrial sites. This job is part of the $603 million replacement of the Industrial Canal Lock. Hamp's equipment is known as an articulating grapple clam. Visible in the left background is the North Claiborne Avenue Bridge over the Industrial Canal.

Locking up the dust

Keeping down the dust is one duty of the contractors on a $22.4 million demolition and environmental clean up that is the first actual construction project in replacing the Industrial Canal Lock in New Orleans. The truck is operated by Envirocon Inc. of Baton Rouge, a unit of general contractor Washington Group International. The clean up, in the 32-acre East Bank Industrial Area, involves removal of 50 buildings, concrete slabs, abandoned barges, wharves, bulkheads, and more. Water is used to control dust from building demolition and trucking out debris. Completion of the clean-up is expected in December 2002.

Cops for kids

Michelle Spraul, an engineer in Operations Division, leads a group of 20 junior high school students to the Corps vessel Alexander for a Mississippi River tour.  The students were part of the New Orleans Police Department's Cops For Kids Summer Camp Program,  which promotes educational and career interests. A total of 40 students visited the New Orleans District on July 12.

New Orleans hurricane excercise

Soldiers of the 249th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) work during a hurricane emergency exercise in New Orleans in May: from left, SSG Micheal Wightman, 1st Lt. Michelle Tope and Specialist Maxine Bethea. They were among 130 soldiers and civilians who formed teams for a successful exercise in providing emergency power, ice and water. The civilians came from ten Corps of Engineers districts and four divisions. Behind them is an emergency vehicle providing complete communications and control facilities.

Officials view pump station expansion

Maj. Gen. Hans Van Winkle, chief of the Corps of Engineers’ $4.5 billion civil works program, talks with Jim Singleton, New Orleans City Councilmember at Large, on an inspection of Pump Station No. 1 in New Orleans. The Corps and the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board are enlarging the station’s capacity by 29 percent to 5,300 cubic feet per second. The project is part of the Corps’ $537 million Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) to reduce damage from rain floods in metro New Orleans. Singleton chairs the Sewerage & Water Board’s drainage committee.

Corps sends freshwater diversion message

Twenty-one Corps volunteers spread the word about freshwater diversion projects to children and adults alike at the annual Aububon Zoo Earth Fest, March 24 and 25. Find out more about restoring coastal wetlands with Mississippi River freshwater diversion via our Freshwater Diversion and Davis Pond brochures.

River is highest in two years at Carrollton

The Mississippi River is the highest it's been in two years, cresting March 6 at 14.6 feet at the Carrollton Gage in New Orleans. The stage has since fallen to just over 12 feet as seen here March 22 on the Carrollton Gage at the Corps' office, 7400 Leake Ave. New Orleans District provides both real time and historical data for all the district's river gages.

Students tour flood control projects

Team Leader Mark Hintz talks to students of Archbishop Rummel High School about construction to improve the flood drainage capacity of the Suburban Canal at Veterans Blvd. New Orleans District hosted 24 physics students from Rummel on Feb. 21 for briefings, an engineer career panel discussion, and a construction site tour as part of Engineers Week.

District talks up engineering to students

New Orleans District is hosting over 60 high school students on Feb. 21 for an engineering career panel discussion, followed by a tour of urban drainage flood control projects in Orleans and Jefferson parishes. The students are from a physics class at Archbishop Rummel H.S. and a math and engineering club at Grace King H.S.

Waterway gets gentle giant to the Ohio River

A deck barge passes through the Industrial Canal Lock in New Orleans with two crew members, bound for service at the Corps' Olmsted Locks and Dam Project on the Ohio River near Paducah, Kentucky. The steel structure is called a nose pier and its dimensions illustrate the unique value of the inland waterways in the movement of objects incapable of movement by highway or rail. Th 350-ton structure is 40 feet tall, 38 feet wide and 39 feet long. It, and two similar structures also on the barge, were manufactured by Steward Machine Co., Birmingham, Alabama.