[StBernard] St. Bernard hurricane protection proposal concerns local official

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard hurricane protection proposal concerns local official
By Sheila Grissett, The Times -Picayune 
October 01, 2009, 7:20PM
The head of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East said
Thursday that the Army Corps of Engineers is considering major changes to
projects in St. Bernard Parish that would make it difficult -- perhaps
impossible -- to safely close all gates in advance of a tropical storm or
hurricane.

Engineer Bob Turner also told the authority's Operations Committee meeting
Thursday that the corps apparently has redirected $80 million to a project
on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish because of "savings" realized on work
planned in St. Bernard.

Turner fears those savings are the result of changes the corps is making to
projects in St. Bernard.

"It's crazy that they'll cut something this important from our projects and
send the money somewhere else, " said Turner, the levee authority's
executive director.

Turner is particularly concerned that the corps is looking at building a
"stop log" closure across the Caernarvon Canal rather than the long-planned
sector gate. Such a cost-cutting change would require closing the navigable
waterway four to five days before a storm, an unnecessary hardship to marine
industries located behind the new floodwall, he said.

"The more severe problem is, what if a tropical storm blows up right off the
coast and there's (no) time to get it closed, " he said. "It requires a
large crane lifting large pieces in the canal . . . and with high wind and
pouring rain, that's dangerous."

Turner said it would be "the biggest weak link" in the new hurricane
protection system under construction at the direction of the corps.

Col. Robert Sinkler, commander of the corps Hurricane Protection Office,
said the sector gate remains a part of the Caernarvon Canal project,
although he confirmed the recent decision to design a stop log closure as
well -- just to preserve the option if needed.

"But there would have to be some overwhelming reason to revisit that
decision, and nothing presented to me at this point would make me change my
mind, " he said.

Sinkler said the switch probably would save less than $10 million, but would
provide "consistency" because a stop log is being also being planned in the
Hero Canal less than five miles away. But Turner said the canals are very
different.

"We are not aware of any location in the United States where such a
structure is currently being used as an integral part of a hurricane
protection levee system, " he said. "Inability to close a stop log structure
in a flood protection system may result in severe consequences, including
loss of life."

Turner also said the corps has eliminated construction of a permanent bridge
as part new closure structures at bayous Bienvenue and Dupre. He said having
no access at one or the other of those structures means the levee district
will have to hire barges to do everything from routine grass-cutting to
emergency floodfighting and closing gates in advance of a storm.

Turner said it also means the corps would have to travel by water to close
gates in the new floodwall it is building atop the Chalmette Loop levees.

Sinkler said Turner has made some persuasive arguments that are being
evaluated. But in one case, Sinkler said the authority and Lake Borgne Basin
Levee District are asking that the corps provide more access than was
available before Katrina.

"They always had to get tugs to go out and cut the grass, " he said.

On the other hand, levee district personnel will also have to close new
gates ahead of storms where there were no gates before.

"Again, the question is, what is reasonable access in the various areas, and
those are collective decisions that are still to be made, " Sinkler said.

Neither Sinkler nor Turner could provide much information on the $80 million
that ostensibly was transferred from the corps' Lake Pontchartrain Basin
account to the West Bank account at some point before Sinkler assumed
command on May 29.

Sinkler said he's awaiting details, and Turner said he's been trying to get
specifics ever since seeing the money mentioned last week in e-mail
transmissions between state and corps officials.