Posted on 09/04/2005 7:20:44 PM PDT by jonatron
The breach in the 17th Street Canal levee that had put the city of New Orleans underwater was essentially closed early Sunday evening after days of work and the use of "ingenuity to the max," a top U.S. Corps of Engineers general said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
The only number I had was pump station #6 at 850 cuft/sec.Where did you get that unrealistically low number from anyway?
Pump station #6 shows to have:
a) seven (7) 14' 1000 CF/s A. B. Wood screw pumps and
b) two (2) 12' 550 CF/s A. B. Wood screw pumps;
that is 8100 CF/s right there ...
Corps answers from last Tuesday.
Q.1. How long will it take to get the water out of New Orleans?
A.1. We are unsure. A number of factors play into this. First, Lake Pontchartrain is at roughly 4.5 feet above sea level and falling. The city is at a lower elevation so water will continue to flow into it until it equalizes.
Once the breach on the 7th Street Canal is closed, Pump Station 6 can pump 10,000 cubic feet per second.
Once the breaches are closed and all of the pumps are running, the pumps can lower the water level ½ inch per hour or about a foot per day. We can get the water level to sea level in four and a half days. The ½ inch rate assumes the late is at normal levels. That would create pumping inefficiency, as could trash in drains and canals that feed into the pump stations.
That’s a “Best Case” scenario. We don’t know the conditions of all of the pumps. Fortunately most of the pump motors and controllers are at an elevation greater than 5 feet and we hope they weren’t submerged. There could be other unforeseen problems.
We assume the pumps have not been submerged since most pumps are at an elevation greater than five feet above sea level. Pumps are operated and maintained by the local sewage and drainage districts.
Q.2. Why did the levees fail?
A.2. What failed were actually floodwalls, not levees. This was caused by overtopping which caused scouring, or an eating away of the earthen support, which then basically undermined the wall.
Total system capacity isn't simply all pump capacitys in parallel, but rather some are in series, with smaller pump stations aggregating THEIR output together to larger pump stations in the system ...
"New Orleans police killed 5 New Orleans terrorists"
Terrorists have a political agenda. These were simply criminals.
Internet article on the recent upgrades to pumping station #6. But I'd never find it again.
Sounds like there's plenty of pumping power available and people take their little bilge pumps home.
Over on the other pump thread
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476756/posts
a little research found out that pumping the water out is comparatively a small problem. It's the levees and attitudes that are the problems.
Better the poluted water end up in Lake Ponchatrain or the Mississippi River than in the streets of New Orleans. Tell the environmentalists to file their complaints at the New Orleans City Hall - but they will have to use a boat or helicopter and then swim up to the complaint dept.
You are correct. I really do regret my statement. I am just very angry inside because I have some strong ties to Louisiana. That anger has gotten the best of me.
I should learn to be only sad about things, and control my anger.
I just wish they did more of this stuff than trying to regulate the ONE ACRE "navigable waterways" in our back yards.
And the reason they bury their dead above ground is why? The ground is always soaked. You ever try digging a hole there. One foot down, you strike water.
Probably for the same reason that they speak of Hurricane Katrina's "flood water receding". Recede to where?!
The levee break in St. Bernard Parish is a Mississippi break. (The Industrial Canal break)
They were still doing construction on the bridge at the 17th street canal when the storm came. I find the story of the barge believable. It appears that the 3000 pound sandbags at the bridge were not placed as they were supposed to in case a hurricane came.
How many 10 gallon wet/dry shopvacs would it take to extract all the water from NOLA? Perhaps a FReeper VacAThon is in order...
Great news!
I would have called it a flood wall, but that might not be the technically correct terminology for that usage. I've seen them used mainly in locations where you don't have enough space for the width that a levee would take up.
I heard someone call into FOX NEWS last night saying something about a barge blowing in during the storm, repeatedly battering up against the levee at the Industrial Canal, and then the levee broke.
There are more than the 2 ways you listed.
George have you taken the time to read up on the NO pumping system?
I know you're not entirely serious, but just so you know, there are no basements in New Orleans homes. They are built on concrete slab foundations, or they are built in the "raised cottage" style on pillars above ground.
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