Weekly News Summary For June 5-11, 2006:
Hurricane Protection System Meets Pre-Katrina Levels
Although Army Corps of Engineers contractors continue to work around the clock to finish three remaining New Orleans hurricane protection system projects, Jim Taylor, spokesman for Task Force Guardian, the arm of the Corps established to handle the system rebuilding efforts, said the system is better and stronger than what existed before Katrina.
“The work is virtually complete,” he said. “The work has restored the system to pre-Katrina levels. There are two outfall canals that still have a little work remaining. Contractors are working around the clock. I do believe the system is better and stronger, but this is the first step. We need to elevate the system to what it was authorized to be at in the 1960s and finish what was not authorized. Settlement has occurred over the last 40 years, and by the fall of 2007, we hope to have that built back up.”
The two outfall canal projects that are not complete are the 17th Street canal and London Street canal projects. As part of those projects, large gates and pumps are being installed that would close off the area to a storm surge while the pumps would allow for water to be pumped from within the city into the canal. The Corps would have temporary pumps in place to pump the water from the canals into the lake.
According to data from previous storm seasons, Taylor said the need for the gates to be closed would have only arisen three times in the last 40 years. Measures are in place that would bring in temporary pumps and the use of sheet piles to close off the area if a storm was approaching.
At the London canal, the pumps are installed but the gates are delayed, while at the 17th Street canal, the gates are almost finished but the pumps are not completed….
Kentucky Water Patrol officials are investigating a Memorial Day weekend boating accident that claimed the life of Ingram Barge Company pilot Wade A. Thies, 48 of Benton, Ky. Thies’ body was discovered early May 29 near Pisgah Bay, adjacent to the entrance to the “Rock Quarry,” a popular gathering spot for rowdy parties along the right descending shore at Tennessee River Mile 30.
Capt. Robert Fralick, supervisor for the agency’s 1st District, said Thies’ cause of death had not been determined nor had a cause of the accident been determined because his body was not discovered for several hours after the apparent time of the collision.
“Darkness may have been the primary factor,” he told the Paducah Sun. “We don’t have a clear time of the accident yet, but it almost had to have happened after nightfall.”
Thies’ body and badly mangled personal watercraft were discovered near each other early the next morning. Fralick said the Jet Ski-type craft appeared to have struck some barely submerged rocks near the entrance to the quarry “at a significant speed” and became airborne before slamming into the higher bluff head on….
Terral RiverService welcomed its newest line haul towboat into the family fold May 23 when it christened the Edna T. Gattle during ceremonies conducted at its Lake Providence, La., headquarters. Recently delivered by NewSouth Marine Construction Inc. of Greenville, Miss., the 3,000 hp, retractable-pilothouse vessel was named in honor of the wife of company president and chief executive officer Thomas M. Gattle Jr.
The new boat is a virtual twin to the Marguerite L. Terral delivered by NewSouth Marine Builders LLC in 2002. Satisfied with the performance of this boat, named in honor of the widow of company co-founder, John C. Terral, the family-owned firm chose the same builder/designer for its next boat, Gattle said following the christening ceremonies. Both boats measure 105 by 32 feet and are powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3512 diesels, rated at 1,500 hp. each.
The Marguerite L. Terral was the first new boat to be delivered by Tim Hovas’ fledging yard and its performance drew attention from Golding Barge Line, another Delta-based firm, which quickly inked a contract to deliver a similar boat to its growing operations last year. The previous boats were built while the company had other partners, but Hovas and his wife Becky bought out the other partners last year. The firm has changed its name to NewSouth Marine Construction Inc.
Gattle said NewSouth is already building a third boat for his family’s firm, but it will be smaller, with a 73- by 28-foot hull powered by a pair of Caterpillar 3412 diesels, rated at 1,600 hp. It is un-named at this point and is scheduled for delivery in September, he noted….
Dredging to relieve Hurricane Rita-caused shoaling in the Houma Navigation Canal southwest of New Orleans will begin about June 10, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced.
The $3.83 million dredging contract was awarded to Mike Hooks Inc of Lake Charles, La. The contract calls for the removal of 700,000 cubic yards of material from the canal, which links the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) at Houma, La., with the Gulf of Mexico.
Shoaling has hampered the offshore oil, fishing and shipbuilding industries that use the canal, the Corps release said.
“Once the money became available, we got the contract out in record or near-record time,” said Jane Brown, the Corps’ assistant operations manager for the 36-mile canal. “This project is important to America because it will help the domestic production of oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.”…
Patrick J. Gallwey, a 26-year veteran of the Port of New Orleans, became the new chief operating officer June 1, following the retirement of Dave Wagner.
Previously, Gallwey was the executive assistant for administration.
Wagner is retiring from the position he held since 1989 after a 40-year career, according to a press release issued by the port. Prior to his position at the Port of New Orleans, Wagner was executive director of the Port of Baltimore for three years. He also served as deputy secretary of transportation for Maryland from 1984 to 1986, in addition to holding the position of general manager of the Mass Transit Administration of Maryland for several years.
“Dave Wagner has been instrumental in creating and managing one of the finest port organizations in the nation,” said Gary LaGrange, president and chief executive officer of the Port of New Orleans. “He will certainly be missed, but we wish him all of the best in the years to come.”…
The St. Paul Engineer District in cooperation with the River Resources Forum Water Level Management Task Force plans to implement a drawdown of Pool 5 for the benefit of fish and wildlife this summer, beginning on June 12.
The drawdown at Lock and Dam 5, which is located 10 miles northwest of Winona, Minn., will reduce water levels at the dam by a maximum of 1.5 feet. The drawdown at the Alma gauge will be a maximum of .5 foot. This can only be implemented, however, if flows stay below 105,000 cubic feet per second. If flows cooperate, the drawdown will be conducted throughout the summer and will be completed by September 30….
The Waterways Journal encourages letters to the editor.
Have something on your mind?
Send letters to: jshoulberg@waterwaysjournal.net.
(Please indicate whether or not your letter is intended for publication.)
