[StBernard] MRGO causing new concerns in St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

MRGO causing new concerns in St. Bernard
  Reported by: Natasha Robin, Reporter 
Email: nrobin at fox8tv.net 
Contributor: Jim Pennison, Photographer 
Last Update: 11/10 9:55 pm  

Ida's northeast wind blew water into lower St. Bernard Parish as expected.
Sharon Couture's business never closed even when water surrounded her little
grocery store in Shell Beach. 
Couture, along with every fisherman in the area though, waited on the
northwest wind to blow through. That's the wind that pushes the water out.
But when the wind changed direction, the water still wasn't receding as
usual.

Councilman Fred Everhardt and some veteran fishermen decided to take a boat
ride to find out why the water was taking so long to go down. They ended up
where the Army Corps had decommissioned the infamous MRGO.

Everhardt says the rock structure that was put in place to close the MRGO
was actually blocking the flood water from flowing out of St. Bernard.

That, he says, forced the water to find an alternate route.

Everhardt says, "Some of the alternate routes are much smaller canals. Our
concern with that is coastal erosion. As far as that tide is running out,
it's causing coastal erosion."

The councilman points out that closing off the MRGO was necessary to stop
the saltwater intrusion that was causing coastal erosion in the first place,
but he says Ida presented yet another problem. 

He would like the Corps to go back to the drawing board and try to figure
out a way to open up parts of the rock structure when a storm passes through
so that the water can recede and people can get back to their homes. 

The Army Corps say it's hydrology department is looking at the conditions
surrounding the rock structure. The Corps is promising more information
soon.