Page 28: of Marine News Magazine (February 2016)

27 29

COLUMN DREDGING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Pass when the Carrollton Gauge approaches 10 feet and ? gure out how to get the job done, keeping Southwest rising. The Carrollton Gauge has been over 12 feet since Pass, the revolving door to international trade, open.

December 15, 2015, with a crest of 17.06 feet reported in If you have never seen what 1.25 million cubic feet per mid-January, with the stage manipulated by the operation second looks like you are really missing a spectacle. Locally, of the Bonnet Carre’ Spillway. The Carrollton Gauge is the reference is that this rate of ? ow would ? ll the Super predicted to remain over 14 feet until February 10, 2016. Dome in one second. There are areas of river that have

Also in January, the Bar Pilots who are responsible for currents of over 15 knots and although there are dozens moving ships from the Gulf of Mexico to Pilottown were of navigation restrictions in place, commerce continues to forced to implement a draft reduction of 4 feet to the new move – for now. Still, every foot of draft lost equates to maximum draft of 43 feet from 47 feet. The scary part $1 million in cargo left behind, so for each vessel that had is that much more shoaling occurs when the stage level to light load to 43 feet it left behind $4 million in cargo. begins to recede, yet we lost 4 feet of draft before cresting. Eventually, the cargo will get moved, but those higher costs

To make matters worse, the Corps only had one industry are passed on to the consumer. Unless, of course, someone hopper dredge working on the channel, with another Gov- decides to import more wheat from South America. ernment hopper dredge expected to arrive the following Even at 1.25 million cubic feet per second, Southwest week. Nevertheless, recovering this channel after a ? ood Pass remains in crisis. That’s because, as the water goes, the event requires multiple dredges. A previous ? ood required mud and dirt stays.

up to eight hopper dredges to be used simultaneously to As the Corps of Engineers once again tries to solve the restore Southwest Pass. crisis, funding is no longer (at least for now) the problem.

Without a doubt, more shoaling is coming and without More equipment and dredges are needed. They will come, additional dredges to respond, more severe draft reductions but only if stable and adequate funding is consistently are likely. Since Hurricane Sandy, however, there have been available; year in and year out. This year’s USACE budget considerable efforts to recover multiple east coast channels is a start. and to rebuild coastal acreage by pumping sediment to synthetically create land. The impact now is that all most if not all available dredges large enough to work on the Sean Duffy is the Executive Director

Mississippi are working on Sandy Restoration or channel of the Big River Coalition.

deepening projects on the east coast. Together, the Corps of Engineers and their dredging contractors are trying to

Bonnet Carre’ Spillway Operation

February 2016

MN 28

MN Feb16 Layout 18-31.indd 28 1/21/2016 11:32:05 AM