[StBernard] Sheriff's Office warns boaters to stay away from MR-GO near Hopedale

[Westley Annis]

Sheriff's Office warns boaters to stay away from MR-GO near Hopedale

05:34 PM CDT on Thursday, June 4, 2009

 Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News

pmurphy at wwltv.com 


NEW ORLEANS - Boaters beware - the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet is closed
near Hopedale. 


Video: Watch the Story St. Bernard marine patrols are warning people to stay
away from the rock barrier being built across the controversial waterway. 

Construction crews continue work on a rock jetty, marking the closure of the
MR-GO near Bayou La Loutre in St. Bernard Parish. 

The barrier is nearing completion, but there are still spots where the large
rocks are several feet below the waterline. 

"We were concerned as a safety issue that somebody might strike that and
cause damage to the boat or even injury or a death of someone who might
strike an obstacle in the water like those rocks," said Jimmy Poulmann,
deputy chief of the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office. 

The Sheriff's Office says even with the work underway about 150 boaters a
day still try to navigate through the area. 

Charter Captain Jonathan Sanchez said most of the locals know to stay away
from the rocks, boaters who are not familiar with the waterway may have some
problems. 

"The more they keep dumping them rocks, the closer it gets to the top,"
Sanchez said. "It was supposed to be closed for a while now. People keep
going over it and soon enough, they're going to find out you're not supposed
to go over it. Hitting the bottom of your boat and really getting
dangerous." 

Sanchez also said the increased boat traffic on the local canals that take
you around the rock structure is an accident waiting to happen. 

"Down this canal here, they have a bunch of blind turns and they got some
mud flats and some other obstructions in the bayou itself," Sanchez said.
"If you're going out there, just be careful." 

Poulmann said the Sheriff's Office is aware of the hazards on Bayou La
Loutre and the Spoil Canal near the MR-GO. 

"We're going to step up our sheriff's office marine division and we asked
Wildlife and Fisheries to assist us in the increased patrols in these areas
until most everybody is aware of the safety issues in these canals,"
Poulmann said. 

At the end of the day, sheriff's deputies want boaters to have an enjoyable
time and catch a boat load of fish. The last thing they want is for people
to get in an accident here on the water. 

"That's why we're out here today to just pass the word around," Poulmann
said. 

The MR-GO is blamed for some of the worst flooding during Hurricane Katrina.
The Army Corps of Engineers says while the rock barrier is not a hurricane
protection measure, it will help stop saltwater intrusion now destroying
local wetlands.