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Dangerous leaks in New Orleans levees

by cynthia yoo | May 21, 2008 at 02:51 pm

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Engineering experts have raised alarms about New Orleans' levee system. They worry that levees are leaking and may collapse during a future storm.

Outside engineering experts who have studied the project told The Associated Press that the type of seepage spotted at the 17th Street Canal in the Lakeview neighborhood afflicts other New Orleans levees, too, and could cause some of them to collapse during a storm.
The Army Corps of Engineers has spent about $4 billion so far of the $14 billion set aside by Congress to repair and upgrade the metropolitan area's hundreds of miles of levees by 2011. Some outside experts said the leak could mean that billions more will be needed and that some of the work already completed may need to be redone.

"It is all based on a 30-year-old defunct model of thinking, and it means that when they wake up to this one - really - our cost is going to increase significantly," said Bob Bea, a civil engineer at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Army Corps of Engineers disputed the experts' dire assessment. The agency said it is taking the risk of seepage into account and rebuilding the levees with an adequate margin of safety.

"It's always a potential, so it is a design component for every feature," said Walter Baumy, the chief corps engineer in New Orleans.

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phrolen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:19 on May 21st, 2008

cynthia yoo, Thanks for this.

Cinnamon Growl

at 17:45 on May 21st, 2008

I was taken on a quick tour by one taxi driver while I visited New Orleans last year (4/2007) His take was the quality and timing of the levee work was based on where you live(which Parish or Ward) and also he said "we move slower down here" This pic was taken during the day midday and no one was working.

Cinnamon Growl has contributed a photo to this story.

Planet Claire

at 19:23 on May 21st, 2008

I took this photo 7 months after Katrina in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. In this photo, it seemed the levees were still leaking, since it hadn't rained in a few days.

Planet Claire has contributed a photo to this story.

René

at 09:31 on May 22nd, 2008

Locals have consistently and constantly complained to deaf ears for the last several years. And outside engineers. This is not new stuff. complaints are always answered with 'official' new expensive studies. An expense that could be more usefully used in upgrading the relevant levees. but no....

Matt Ewalt

at 10:00 on May 23rd, 2008

Matt Ewalt has contributed a photo to this story.

911review

at 13:50 on May 24th, 2008

taken at the 17th St canal 3 days after the levee broke , about 5 or 6 days after Hurricane Katrina hit.

more here...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/911review/
Brad

911review has contributed a photo to this story.

911review

at 14:07 on May 24th, 2008

By the way, if you havent seen this...

The Army Corp had overseen a project that had used NEWSPAPER instead of the an expensive rubber, to fill gaps between the wall-joints

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl042408tpleveepaper.98095b74.html

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1209187840171060.xml&coll=1

New Orleans News Ladder

at 14:50 on May 24th, 2008

Hey, thank you both. I have been so caught up with that article since first spotting it minutes after it hit the internet Wednesday night. It threw me right back to that first week of the flood and how few people really understand what went down. I can't tell you how good it feels to see someone else thinking the same think as me: That the article is not about "a little wet spot that is nothing to worry about"--but about photograph of a NEW REPAIRED FAILED LEVEE, already failing, before hurricane season has officially even started yet.

I hung you both onto today's Ladder. Please check it out and fang back through the posts and make yourself at home. I hope you enjoy. Today is a little hard but I usually try to have fun too. Me blogga you blogga...

Thanks for keeping the lights on New Orleans.

Bruce~Editilla-New Orleans News Ladder