Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

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Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

By Bruce Nolan, The Times-Picayune

May 01, 2010, 1:58PM

Matthew HInton, The Times-PicayuneSt. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis, with booms being unloaded near Fort Pike.

St. Tammany Parish officials on Saturday prepared to string nearly a mile and a half of floating booms across two passes if it becomes necessary to protect Lake Pontchartrain from the massive oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico.

Parish President Kevin Davis said the parish has ordered 7,500 feet of floating booms, to be strung across Chef Menteur Pass and the Rigolets, if necessary. They would be lashed to highway bridges to fix them in place, he said.

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http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/booms_readied_near_chef_menteu.html

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Parish unveils plans to block oil from lake

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 12:22 AM CDT

Flanked by the new mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu, Gov. Bobby Jindal and other parish officials, Parish President Kevin Davis unveiled plans Tuesday that he and others hope will keep the oil spill from the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion from getting into Lake Pontchartrain.

They were all gathered at Ft. Pike on the Rigolets where both St. Tammany and Orleans parishes have set up a command center from which to implement their plans.

Davis and others are proposing a three-tier line of defense against the oil spill. If the giant slick is pushed up near Breton Sound, oil booms placed across the sound will hopefully protect Lake Borgne. If the oil gets past those booms, then booms set up across the mouths of the East and West
Pearl rivers, the Rigolets, Chef Pass and other passes in Lake Borgne will stop the advancing slick. Finally, the last tier will be booms set up across the Rigolets at Ft. Pike, and the Chef Pass. There will be booms that will go all the way up U.S. Highway 90 along Salt Bayou and stop at the East Pearl River, where a decontamination station has been established.

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http://thesttammanynews.com/articles/2010/05/06/news/doc4be09d62d8bb2599289653.txt

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Work underway to protect Lake Ponchartrain from oil



by Doug Mouton / Northshore Bureau Chief
wwltv.com
Posted on May 10, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:57 PM


ST. TAMMANY, La. -- The Coast Guard began driving pilings Monday in hopes of blocking oil from getting into Lake Borgne.

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"I think that at some point we're going to get it up here in this Mississippi Sound," said St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis. "it's just a matter of when."

For now, St. Tammany leaders are preparing for oil, with boom deployed and ready at 27 sites. By the end of the week, they could be fighting the oil.

The plan is to stretch 10 miles of the giant boom near what Davis calls "Half Moon," north of the Biloxi Marsh. The boom is designed to catch the oil. Davis said five skimmers would then pick up the oil.

Davis said the failure of the BP containment device increases the likelihood oil will threaten Lake Pontchartrain.

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http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Work-underway-to-protect-Lake-Ponchartrain-93326039.html

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...26tbs%3Disch:1

Lake Pontchartrain Basin Waterways

The Pontchartrain Basin is a watershed, an area of land that drains into a particular body of water. Lake Pontchartrain is the center of the Pontchartrain Basin watershed. The waterways that make up the Pontchartrain Basin include different types.

Two major rivers form the approximate east and west boundaries of the basin. The Mississippi River is on the western side of the basin and the Pearl River is on the eastern side.

Three sister lakes lay in the basin between the two major rivers, the 630 square mile Lake Pontchartrain is the largest with Lake Maurepas to its west and Lake Borgne to its east. The lakes are connected by passes, Pass Manchac, Chef Pass and the Rigolets Pass. Although called lakes these water bodies are not true lakes since they are not completely surrounded by land. Instead they are all part of an estuarine system, or inland bay system. An estuary is a partially closed coastal body of water where freshwater and saltwater mix.

The three lakes lead one to the other and ultimately connect out into the Gulf of Mexico. They receive fresh water from north shore streams, rivers and bayous as well as rain and are influenced by tidal action from the gulf bringing in saltwater. They provide critical habitat for many species of animals.

Many smaller rivers drain into the estuary. The Amite, Tickfaw, Natalbany and Comite Rivers drain into Lake Maurepas while the Tangipahoa, Tchefuncta, and Bogue Falaya Rivers drain into Lake Pontchartrain. The Pearl and West Pearl Rivers drain into the top of Lake Borgne.

Smaller more sluggish marshy waterbodies called bayous also enter the Pontchatrain Basin. Bayou Manchac works its way to Lake Maurepas. Bayou Castine, Cane Bayou, Bayou Liberty and Bayou Bonfouca flow into Lake Pontchartrain from the north shore while Bayou St. John and Bayou LaBranche enter the lake from the south shore. Bayou Bienvenue flows into Lake Borgne to the east .

An unusual additional source of water into the estuarine system is the manmade canals which drain the low land of the metropolitan New Orleans area. The water in these canals is pumped into Lake Pontchartrain to keep the city dry.

Finally, the water bodies of the Pontchartrain Basin connect to the Gulf of Mexico through the Mississippi, Chandeleur, and Breton Sounds. A sound is a wide relatively shallow inlet of a gulf, sea or ocean that parallels a coast, frequently inside a barrier island. Gradually the water?s salinity increases as it gets further out into the Gulf of Mexico.

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

The forecast (uncertainty trajectory) brings the oil in lake Borgne on Thursday.


Deepwater Horizon 72Hr Trajectory Map 2010-05-10-1700 The 72 hour trajectory forecast prepared on May 10 at 5:00pm.
(Document format: PDF, size: 2.7 M)

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145816

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Oil spill training, prep under way in Slidell

By Erik Sanzenbach
St. Tammany News
Published on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 12:21 AM CDT

As British Petroleum tries to cap the gushing well that keeps spewing 210,000 gallons of oil daily into the Gulf of Mexico, St. Tammany Parish is still getting ready for the sickly black onslaught that might get into Lake Pontchartrain.

Even BP is now considering that as a likely scenario. Starting today, BP and the Deepwater Horizon Unified Command is setting up training for boaters and vessel operators who want to help in the cleanup. From 1 -5 p.m. and again from 6 – 10 p.m. boaters and fishermen interested in helping with the oil cleanup can go register at the Northshore Harbor Center in Slidell. The program is called Vessels of Opportunity program and boat owners must take a training course and sign a letter of agreement with BP.

Earlier this week, BP hired a safety contractor, PEC to hold training sessions for people who will help in the cleanup of the oil spill. PEC holds the classes at the Slidell Factory Outlet Mall off Old Spanish Trail in Slidell.

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http://www.thesttammanynews.com/articles/2010/05/12/news/doc4be9d058605b5035676056.txt

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Forecast location for oil

on 14-May-10 at 1800 CDT

http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/book_shelf/1970_TMF72-2010-05-11-2000.pdf

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Officials discuss efforts to keep oil out of Lake Pontchartrain

by Doug Mouton / Northshore Bureau Chief
wwltv.com
Posted on May 14, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Updated today at 6:17 PM


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"When you hear these ideas of a junk shot being the next best option," Representative Scalise said, "it really makes a lot people scratch their heads and say, in 2010, with what we've learned from Apollo, this should be more NASA and not like the PGA."

Governor Jindal used the press conference to continue to pitch a plan for dredging, building sand mounds to block the oil in the oil in the Chandeleur, Barataria and Timbalier Islands. "Once dredging begins," Governor Jindal said, "we could literally begin to see land, or sand booms, in about ten days."

For now, all St. Tammany waterways remain open and navigable. Kevin Davis said, that doesn't figure to change for at least the next few days.

http://www.wwltv.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/Officials-discuss-efforts-to-keep-oil-out-of-Lake-Pontchartrain-93806624.html

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

St. Tammany Fears Oil Is Closer Than BP Says

Parish President Worries About Lake Pontchartrain

POSTED: 5:01 pm CDT May 27, 2010
UPDATED: 2:44 pm CDT May 28, 2010

MANDEVILLE, La. -- St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis said he is growing increasingly frustrated with BP because he doesn't believe the company is accurately tracking where the massive Gulf oil slick is going.

"It's just a matter of time. It's going to get in here," Davis said.

Davis said the tracking maps released by BP don't accurately reflect the places that already have oil. Some of them are a lot closer to Lake Pontchartrain than anyone likes to think about.

Davis and his staff have seen the thick black oil on places like Brush Island, near Lake Borgne, and they say that's too close to St. Tammany Parish.

But the oil is not showing up on BP's maps.

more......

http://www.wdsu.com/news/23701453/detail.html

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Coast Guard urged to fast-track Lake Borgne protection projects

Barriers expected to act as oil shield
Saturday, May 29, 2010 By Christine Harvey
St. Tammany bureau


Excerpts:

St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu are urging the Coast Guard to implement a plan to build rock and earthen barriers to protect the Lake Borgne shoreline from encroaching oil, while helping to improve hurricane protection and coastal restoration in the area.

Davis and Landrieu have asked Capt. Ed Stanton, incident commander with the Coast Guard, to fast-track two projects to protect Lake Borgne's northwestern shores and to extend that protection to the shoreline between the Rigolets and the East Pearl River. The plan calls for constructing rock dikes and earthen berms to keep the oil out of the sensitive marshes.

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He noted that officials have been fighting the Gulf of Mexico oil spill with the assumption that the oil is floating on top of the water, using booms and other defensive lines in an attempt to keep the oil at bay. However, the dispersants being used to break up the oil slick appear to be causing the oil to sink beneath the surface and travel under the booms to reach the shoreline, Davis said.

Full text at:

http://nola.live.advance.net/news/t-p/sttammany/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1275114696202290.xml&coll=1

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

St. Tammany Deploys Barges To Stop Oil

Parish Wants To Keep Spill From Reaching Shore

POSTED: 4:15 pm CDT June 21, 2010

COVINGTON, La. -- More barges to fight the oil spill are heading out of St. Tammany Parish to protect the Northshore as oil drifts east.

Resources are being staged on the East Pearl River as the parish takes advantage of the fact that oil has not yet arrived there.

"We have barges and boats out here, where they will stay out," Davis said.

For Lake Borgne and the gateway to Lake Pontchartrain, the key is to move the fight well out into the Gulf. On the East Pearl, nine more barges were being outfitted to move out into the Gulf and stay from Grand Pass to Three Mile Bay.

"They're going to be there to man quick-strike teams that can go in with absorbent boom with all of the materials necessary should oil begin to get into those marshes in those particular areas," said Suzanne Parsons with parish government.

It's the next phase of what's becoming a huge barge operation. One line of barges already sits in 8-foot-deep water in the Rigolets.


"We've got them stretched across the Rigolets. We still have an opening for traffic, marine traffic and all, but we actually drove some pilings because you want to make that line as strong as you can," Davis said.

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http://www.wdsu.com/news/23980840/detail.html

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Oil found in Rigolets near Lake Pontchartrain

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Last Update: 7/04 9:58 pm
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The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation is reporting sightings of tar balls and oil sheen in the Rigolets, near Lake Pontchartrain.

Dr. John Lopez reported finding tar balls in a line just west of the CSX railroad bridge.

He says sheen could also be seen in the area of the tarballs.

Many worry that oil could soon invade Lake Pontchartrain.

“If east winds persist, it is likely tar balls will move into <st1:place w:st="on">Lake Pontchartrain</st1:place>. At this time the oil is very light and does not pose severe ecologic risk but must be monitored closely. This is the closest the oil has come to the lake and it will continue to move in,” says Dr. Lopez.
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http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/story/Oil-found-in-Rigolets-near-Lake-Pontchartrain/17u_HyX7iU-55nBshkXGpg.cspx?rss=2085

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

NEWS RELEASES


LDWF MODIFIES FISHING CLOSURES IN PORTIONS OF PLAQUEMINES, ST. BERNARD, ORLEANS AND ST. TAMMANY PARISHES

Release Date: 07/05/2010

LDWF graphic

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert Barham announced the following closure to recreational and commercial fishing in portions of Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes effective immediately today, July 5, 2010.

These precautionary fishing closures are due to new reports of oil, strong easterly winds and higher than normal tides.

St. Bernard, Orleans and St. Tammany Parish Closures

The portion of saltwater water areas of the state east of the Mississippi River north of the southern shoreline of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet and the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain from the double rig line westward to 89 degrees 51 minutes 35 seconds west longitude and the US Hwy 11 bridge in Lake Pontchartrain. In addition to those waters currently closed to recreational and commercial fishing, major water bodies included in this fishing closure include the Biloxi Marsh, Lake Borgne, Lake St. Catherine, Chef Menteur, Unknown and Rigoletes Passes and a portion of Lake Pontchartrain.

Full text at:

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/news/?id=1898

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

DATE: July 05, 2010 20:13:37 CST

Oil reported in Lake Pontchartrain

HOUMA, La. - Oil observers reported sheen and tar balls in the Rigolets and Lake Pontchartrain this morning to the Slidell Forward Operating Base of the Deepwater Horizon Response.


Response crews placed a combined 600-feet of hard and soft boom at a natural choke point in the Rigolets to prevent more oil from getting through to Lake Pontchartrain. Nineteen manual skimming vessels and four decontamination vessels based out of Orleans and St. Tammany were dispatched to the reported oiled areas. Cleanup operations were conducted throughout the day both up and down stream of the choke point.


As of 7:30 p.m. cleanup crews have collected 1,020 pounds of tar balls and waste. Collected oil is being tested to determine if from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead.


Cleanup operations are scheduled to resume Tuesday morning.

For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse....c/2931/740343/

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Re: Louisiana - Booms readied near Chef Menteur, Ft. Pike, to protect Lake Pontchartrain from Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Tar Balls Reach Lake Pontchartrain; Fishing Areas Closed
Parish Leaders Hope Barges, Booms Work For Protection

POSTED: 11:22 am CDT July 6, 2010
UPDATED: 11:48 am CDT July 6, 2010

SLIDELL, La. --
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Oil was spotted Monday in the Rigolets and Lake Pontchartrain in the form of tar balls, and response crews are working quickly to protect the lake.

Early Monday afternoon, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries shut down all commercial fishing south of the Highway 11 bridge after tar balls were seen near the Rigolets, making their way toward the lake.

"We hope it's just tar balls and it will dissipate, but long term, if we continue to see these weather patterns it could have an impact on recreation activities on the lake," said Anne Rheams of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.

A huge line of barges set up to protect St. Tammany and Orleans parishes is still in place. St. Tammany Parish leaders are hoping their efforts with the
barges and booms will work.

"I want to now push back out further, clean up everything that we can -- these smaller batches -- and then push it back further," said Parish President Kevin Davis.


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