LAMA’s report on the Corps’ Mississippi River Maintenance Forum meeting held earlier today (Wednesday, April 3, 2019) and the corresponding agenda are attached.

Please review the attachments for complete details.

RE: CORPS’ MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAINTENANCE FORUM MEETING NOTES

Maintenance Forum Notes April 3, 2019

The Corps’ Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) holds monthly meetings to discuss channel conditions and related issues directly with the maritime industry. These meetings are usually scheduled for 0900 hours on the first Wednesday of the month. LAMA encourages our members to attend these meetings, which are open to the public (with advanced notice of attendance). The agenda for this meeting as provided by the MVN is attached.

1) Introductions

2) Southeast Waterways Update:

Tiger Pass: The MVN was awarded $9.5 million for dredging in Tiger Pass in the Corps Fiscal Year 2019 Work Plan. The MVN was recently able to perfrom surveys in the shallow water areas of Tiger Pass, the new channel surveys are still being processed. The Corps previously calculatated that approximately 3.2 million cubic yards (mcy) of material would have to be removed from the shallow- draft channel to restore full channel dimensions. The funding will be used to restore as much of the channel to authorized dimensions as possible, although revised estimates will be more than the 3.2 mcy amount (most likely). The Corps expects to begin dredging late in Fiscal Year 2019 and is presently working to identify submerged pipelines crossing the anticipated dredge assisgnment.

Baptiste Collette: The Corps previously received $13.9 million in supplemental funding to perform dredging operations ($6.5 million) and rock work to fortify the jetties and channel boundaries ($7.4 million). The MVN performed channel surveys on January 17, 2019 with an identified controlling depth of 6.5 feet identified near Mile 9.75 (jetty end). The MVN was also awarded an additional $3 million in the Corps Fiscal Year 2019 Work Plan and is working to properly prepare for a cutterhead dredge contract to restore full channel dimensions with a bid scheduled to be openined on April 9, 2019, the lastest surveys indicated 1.8 mcy of material would need to be removed – to restore full channel dimensions. The MVN also intends to issue a contract for the rock work in July and expects those operations to commence by September 2019. The Baptiste Collette foreshore rock channel borders will be repaired along with the jetties, the jetties could also be extended.

3) Mississippi River Conditions Update:

Current Stage New Orleans: 16.5 feet
* Projected to reach 13.4 feet on April 20, 2019.

Current Stage Baton Rouge: 43.1 feet
* Projected to reach 33.6 feet on April 20, 2019.

* NOTE: The long-term Stage Forecasts are attached and based only on future rainfall over the next 48-hours only.

A. Crossings Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans:

The latest surveys for the Crossings Between Baton and New Orleans are included in the attached agenda. The surveys identify considerable shoaling on the Crossing with several of the Crossings having up to 25 feet of shoal material and Red Eye Crossing has up to 30 feet or material that will have to be removed when the stages recede. The high water acts to buffer or counter the shoaling until the Baton Rouge gauge is below 30 feet or so.

B. New Orleans Harbor:

The Port of New Orleans confirmed some challenges with the shoaling at a few locations in spite of the elevated river stages. The main area of immediate concern reported was off of the dock at Napoleon Avenue, as referecend by the Crescent River Port Pilots Associaiton.

C. Southwest Pass (SWP):

The MVN continues the effort to restore the channel in SWP with four industry hopper dredges and the government hopper dredge WHEELER working under a Red Flag Emergency Callout and two cutterhead dredges all working to restore authorized channel dimensions. The Corps is concentrationg on the most deficient areas at Cubits Gap with the industry hopper dredge GLENN EDWARDS and the cutterheard R.S. WEEKS (Weeks Marine) at the Head of Passes. The other dredges are all actively working on shoaling in deficient areas of the channel, but the two most troublesome areas are at Cubit Gaps and the Head of Passes. (Since this meeting the Corps has announced that it is moving the cutterhead dredge R.S. WEEKS to an assignment below the Head of Passes. The currents at the HOP are too strong and the cutterhead was unable to safely remain in place, a hopper dredge will be moved to this location.)

D. Head of Passes, Hopper Dredge Disposal Area (HDDA):

The R.S. WEEKS previously removed approximately 2.5 mcy of material from the HDDA before moving to dredge in SWP on December 15, 2018. Weeks Marine will resume the HDDA project when one of the two cutterhead dredges has completed work in SWP, the estimated time frame is for the HDDA project to resume in mid-May (2019).

E. Southwest Pass Stone Foreshore Dike & Jetty Repair:

A contract was awarded to EFT Diversified, Inc. on July 16, 2018 to make repairs to the foreshore rocks and the jetties that protect the deep-draft channel in Southwest Pass. The rock placement operations continue and the contractor is working closely with the Pilot Associations to assist in maintaining navigational safety around the rock placement operations.

4) Next Meeting:

The next Forum meeting is scheduled for 0900 hours on May 1, 2019, at the MVN District Assembly Room A.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAINTENANCE FORUM

Meeting Agenda April 3, 2019

Corps Forum Agenda

1. Introductions – Michelle Kornick
2. Southeast Waterways – Ray Newman
3. Mississippi River Conditions Update – Michelle Kornick 4. Next Meeting – Wednesday, May 1, 9:00 a.m.,
   USACE New Orleans Headquarters, DARM A

CURRENT STAGES

New Orleans = 16.5′
Baton Rouge =43.1

The next Forum Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 9:00 am.in DARM A at the Corps of Engineers Headquarters Building.