Corps adds N.O. flood protection along canal

• By AMY WOLD
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 6, 2009 - Page: 1A

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NEW ORLEANS — Two separate issues along a stretch of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal — water relief and soil stability — require two different solutions.

That’s why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is adding some features to sections of the east and west walls of the canal’s floodwall protection, said Eric Stricklin, corps project manager.

The canal — also known as the Industrial Canal — runs between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. It’s bordered on both sides by raised earthen levees topped by floodwalls.

Stricklin said although the walls stood up to Hurricane Gustav, the corps is working to strengthen the northern end of the canal and meet standards recommended by the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force — criteria used by the corps post-Hurricane Katrina.

“This was not deemed critical; it just didn’t meet the criteria,” Stricklin said.

On the east wall, the corps is drilling additional relief wells down to a sand layer that runs under the floodwall, he said.

“Water, when it’s loaded on the flood side, Mother Nature is going to make it seep (under),” he said.

These wells will collect water that pushes under the floodwall during high water and then drain it to a nearby concrete-lined ditch that enters into the city’s system, he said.

After Katrina, the corps installed 24 relief wells along the east wall and 15 along the west wall.

The current work will add 19 more wells along the east wall.

In addition, the previous wells are being lowered by 3 to 3‰ feet so they can collect more water, Strickling said. The relief for the 2,800-foot section will cost $2.19 million, he said.

Construction started in late May and should be completed by early August, Stricklin said.

Just across the canal on the western floodwall, the concern was a need for increased soil stability. To address that issue, the corps did “deep soil mixing” on the landward side of the floodwall.