[Louisianadelegation] Lower Mississippi River (LMR) Dredging Update 81122

[Sean Duffy]

Members,

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continues maintenance dredging efforts on the Crossings Above New Orleans and in Southwest Pass. The USACE previously completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the historic project to deepen the Mississippi River Ship Channel Deepening (MRSC) to 50 Feet. The areas of the Ship Channel that required dredging to provide the deeper draft channel were mechanically deepened up to Smoke Bend at Mile 175 Above Head of Passes (AHP).  The USACE is dredging full channel dimensions on the Crossings, depths are location specific but authorized channel widths are 500 feet.

The Mississippi River Ship Channel was mechanically deepened to Mile 175 AHP in two phases by the USACE to match the Congressional authorization to deepen the Ship Channel. The maximum draft recommendation on the Ship Channel was recently increased to 50 feet (freshwater) from the Huey P. Long Bridge (Mile 106 AHP) to the jetty end of Southwest Pass (Mile 20 Below Head of Passes [BHP]). The maximum draft upriver of the Huey P. Long remains 49 feet to Mile 175 AHP, the channel above Mile 175 AHP is expected to be mechanically deepened in Phases 3-5 (estimated).

DUSTPAN DREDGES WORKING ON THE CROSSINGS ABOVE NEW ORLEANS:

HURLEY: The USACE dustpan dredge HURLEY continues dredging full channel dimensions on assignment at Red Eye Crossing (Mile 224 AHP). The HURLEY commenced dredging on the Crossings on May 28, 2022.

WALLACE McGEORGE: The industry dustpan dredge WALLACE McGEORGE continues dredging full channel dimensions at Medora Crossing (Mile 212 AHP). The WALLACE McGEORGE commenced dredging on the Crossings on May 10, 2022.

JADWIN: The USACE dustpan dredge JADWIN is undergoing repairs and is expected to resume work on the shallow-draft channel north of Baton Rouge once repairs are completed.  The USACE will continue to evaluate the need for the dustpan to return to the Crossings. The JADWIN commenced dredging on the Crossings on May 26, 2022.

HOPPER DREDGE(S) WORKING ON THE CROSSINGS ABOVE NEW ORLEANS:

GLENN EDWARDS: The industry hopper dredge GLENN EDWARDS (Manson Construction) is undergoing repairs but is expected to resume dredging at Fairview Crossing (Mile 116 AHP) tomorrow.  The GLENN EDWARDS is working under Southwest Pass Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #2-2021, this contract is expected to be completed in early September (2022).

HOPPER DREDGE(S) WORKING IN SOUTHWEST PASS:
TERRAPIN ISLAND: The industry hopper dredge TERRAPIN ISLAND (Great Lakes Dredge & Dock) is dredging on assignment at the Head of Passes from Mile 2.2 AHP to Mile 1.5 BHP. The TERRAPIN ISLAND is working under Southwest Pass Hopper Dredge Rental Contract #1-2021.
WHEELER: The government hopper dredge WHEELER began dredging yesterday and is working on assignment from Mile 3.8 BHP to Mile 6.5 BHP under Readiness Exercise #5-2022.
MAXIMUM DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS PER PILOT ASSOCIATION:

The updated documentation of the present maximum draft recommendation for each Pilot Association are listed below:

Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots): The Bar Pilots increased their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) on March 16, 2022.

Crescent River Port Pilots Association (CRPPA): The CPPRA raised their maximum draft recommendation to 50 feet (freshwater) on July 20, 2022.

New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots (NOBRA): The NOBRA raised their maximum draft to 49 feet (freshwater) from Mile 88 AHP to Mile 175 AHP on July 13, 2022.  The maximum draft recommendation from Mile 175 to 180 remains 47 feet and from Mile 180 to Mile 233.8 it remains 45 feet.

Associated Federal Pilots and Docking Masters of Louisiana (Federal Pilots): The Federal Pilots increased their maximum draft recommendation on July 21, 2022, to the following:
50 feet from Sea Buoy to Mile 104.7 AHP;
49 feet from Mile 104.7 AHP to 175 AHP;
45 feet Mile 175 AHP to 232.4 AHP; and
40 feet Mile 232.4 AHP to 233.8 AHP.

The controlling maximum freshwater draft for the MRSC from Mile 106 AHP (Huey P. Long) to the Southwest Pass Sea Buoy is now set at 50 feet (freshwater). The maximum draft decreases to 49 feet from the Port of New Orleans to Mile 175 AHP (Smoke Bend) until additional adjustments are made.


MISSISSIPPI RIVER STAGE UPDATES:

The Carrollton Gage (New Orleans) reading at 1300 hours today was 4.86 feet with a 24-hour change of - 0.02 feet.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Carrollton Gauge issued today forecasts stages will remain steady over the next week and then resume a slow fall to 3.3 feet on September 8 (2022). The highest crest on the Carrollton Gage in 2022 to date was 13.82 feet at 2100 hours on March 22, 2022.

The Baton Rouge Gage reading at 1300 hours was 14.29 feet with a 24-hour change of + 0.04 feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Baton Rouge Gauge issued today forecasts stages will remain steady the next few days and then begin a slow fall to 6.4 feet on September 8 (2022).

The graph below is reproduced from NOAA’s National Weather Service website and represents an experimental product to account for the complexity of accurately predicting long-range precipitation.  This forecast projects stage levels based on expected precipitation for 2 days (top) and 16 days (bottom) and was developed within the North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS) computer model and highlights Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts (QPF).  Along with the forecasts, a shaded area is also provided to indicate uncertainty for the forecast each day in the future. These plots are experimental and not an official forecast product.

[NORL1_67_28d_forecast_error_plot.png]



Please utilize the attached reports for complete details including the year-to-date plot of the Carrollton Gauge.

With You,
Sean
Sean M. Duffy, Sr.
Executive Director

Standing By Channel: (504) 338-3165

Big River Coalition
http://bigrivercoalition.org<http://bigrivercoalition.org/>

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