Rising Mississippi water levels causing traffic restrictions on river - Port Of New Orleans To Continue Operations - River closed at Natchez due to record flooding

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Rising water levels causing traffic restrictions on river


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wwltv.com
Posted on May 10, 2011 at 5:13 PM
Updated yesterday at 10:43 PM

Paul Murphy / Eyewitness News

NEW ORLEANS ? The water is inching closer to the top of the levees here along the New Orleans riverfront, a very dangerous time for people who make their living on the river.
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Until further notice, southbound river traffic from Baton Rouge to New Orleans will be in daylight only. Northbound traffic from the sunshine bridge in St. James Parish to Baton Rouge is also daylight only. And vessels with a draft of more than 30 feet must have a pilot on board while at anchor.

?With this historic level of river, the ship would be at the top of the levee and it would take very little for that ship to punch a hole in the levee,? Rooney said.

Full text:

http://www.wwltv.com/news/river-watch/Rising-water-levels-causing-traffic-restrictions-on-river-121596749.html

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Re: New Orleans - Rising water levels causing traffic restrictions on Mississippi river

Barges left unchecked could cause havoc in river, officials say


Monica Hernandez / Eyewitness News
wwltv.com
Posted on May 11, 2011 at 10:15 PM
Updated today at 2:32 AM

NEW ORLEANS ? Hundreds of barges are pushed through the Mississippi River every day, but with the quickening of the current as the river rises, that task is becoming more difficult.

?The challenge is, the ships coming down river go a lot faster and it's harder to slow down when you have all that water pushing you,? said Chief Petty Officer John Edwards of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officials said one of their main concerns as the river swells is that the current could push barges into the levees.

"I think you all remember, in the aftermath of Katrina, how damaging those barges were to the levees,? said Susan Maclay, president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority West.

More...

http://www.wwltv.com/news/river-watch/Barges-left-unchecked-may-cause-havoc-in-river-officials-say-121677059.html

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Re: New Orleans - Rising water levels causing traffic restrictions on Mississippi river - Coast Guard could close the river to ships as early as Monday

River flows over levee in northeast Louisiana, flooding crops

wwltv.com
Posted on May 12, 2011 at 12:17 PM
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BUNCHE'S BEND, La. (AP) -- Water from the swollen Mississippi River poured over a century-old levee Thursday, flooding 12,000 acres of corn and soybeans despite farmers' frantic efforts to shore up the structure. Downstream, officials with the Port of New Orleans said the Coast Guard could close the river to ships as early as Monday, halting traffic on one of the world's busiest commercial waterways.
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Chris Bonura, a spokesman for the Port of New Orleans, said the Coast Guard plans to close a 190-mile stretch of river from Baton Rouge to the Gulf of Mexico when the water reaches the 18-foot level at a gauge in Carrollton, which could happen by Monday.

The mouth of the Mississippi would become a parking lot, though some ships might be diverted to other ports.

Barges headed south from the nation's heartland to the Port of South Louisiana at Reserve, upriver from New Orleans, would be unable to reach grain elevators. Massive ships that carry U.S. corn, soybeans and other crops out of the country would be unable to move. Shipments of Venezuelan heavy crude oil that come in by tanker to a refinery in Chalmette would be locked out of the river, though most refineries on the river are fed by pipelines.

Full text:

http://www.wwltv.com/news/River-flows-over-levee-in-northeast-Louisiana-flooding-crops-121716499.html

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Re: New Orleans - Rising water levels causing traffic restrictions on Mississippi river - Coast Guard could close the river to ships as early as Monday

Posted: Friday, 13 May 2011 9:36AM

Flood could cost hundreds of millions even if levees hold

Associated Press Reporting

If the lower portion of the flooding Mississippi River is closed to ships, the U.S. economy could face a bill running into the hundreds of millions of dollars a day.

The Port of New Orleans was told Thursday by the Coast Guard that a river closure between the Gulf of Mexico and Baton Rouge to deep-draft ships was possible as early as Monday. Ships approaching the river from the Gulf and approaching Baton Rouge were warned of the possibility.

Shipping interests and the port pushed for the opening of the Morganza spillway northwest of Baton Rouge to divert water from the flooded Mississippi into the Atchafalaya River, saying the move would keep ships cruising. No decision on the spillway had been made Thursday after more than a week of discussion, but Gov. Bobby Jindal was telling residents in Atchafalaya flood plains to prepare for an evacuation.

But if the river closes, history shows the costs grow quickly into staggering figures.

In 2008, a 100-mile stretch of the river was closed for six days after a tugboat pushing a barge collided with a tanker ship, spilling about 500,000 gallons of fuel and stacking up ships. The Port of New Orleans, citing an economic impact study it commissioned, estimated the shutdown cost the national economy up to $275 million a day.

"From my experience, any study like that generally understates the cost," said Sean Duffy, a maritime advocate with the Mississippi River Maritime Association.

More...

http://www.wwl.com/Flood-could-cost-hundreds-of-millions-even-if-leve/9833373

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Port Of New Orleans To Continue Operations

Port Of New Orleans To Continue Operations

Port CEO: Corps Of Engineers Manage Water Levels By Opening Spillway

POSTED: 3:39 pm CDT May 15, 2011

UPDATED: 4:02 pm CDT May 15, 2011

NEW ORLEANS -- The Mississippi River Commission said it has permitted the Corps of Engineers to open up the Morganza Spillway on Sunday to impede the rising waters of the Mississippi River and allow for the Port of New Orleans to continue its operations.

?I have been assured by the Corps of Engineers that they can keep the river at its current level and flow,? Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans, said.
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The water level at the Carrollton Gage in New Orleans was at 17 feet, and Corps officials said they will be able to maintain the current water level below 18 feet by using the spillways to redirect the river?s crest.

Read more: http://www.wdsu.com/news/27902077/de...#ixzz1MTOvSbBX

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Rising Mississippi water levels causing traffic restrictions on river - Port Of New Orleans To Continue Operations - River closed at Natchez due to record flooding

Mississippi River closed at Natchez due to record flooding

Published: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 9:51 AM Updated: Tuesday, May 17, 2011, 10:56 AM

Record flooding has caused authorities to close the Mississippi River at the port in Natchez because barge traffic could put more pressure on the levees.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough said the port was closed Monday, leaving two vessels waiting to head north and one waiting to go south. The U.S. economy could face a bill running into the hundreds of millions of dollars a day if the lower Mississippi River is closed to shipping for days or weeks, port officials said. It wasn't clear when the river would reopen to traffic.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest Saturday in Natchez at 63 feet, down a half-foot than earlier predictions, but almost five feet above a record set in 1937. The river at Natchez was already 3 feet above the 1937 level as of Monday morning. To the north, the river is projected to crest Thursday at Vicksburg at 57.5 feet, more than a foot above the 1927 record there.

It could take weeks for the water to recede to normal levels.

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2011/05/mississippi_river_closed_at_na.html

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Re: Rising Mississippi water levels causing traffic restrictions on river - Port Of New Orleans To Continue Operations - River closed at Natchez due to record flooding

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mis...MW_latest_news

May 17, 2011, 9:08 p.m. EDT
Mississippi port reopened on limited basis
One vessel at a time allowed on 15-mile stretch near Natchez, Miss.

By Russ Britt, MarketWatch

LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) ? A section of the Mississippi River that had been closed to barge traffic was reopened on a limited basis Tuesday afternoon, the Coast Guard said.....