LAMA’s report on the Corps’ Mississippi River Maintenance Forum meeting held Wednesday, November 7, 2018 and the corresponding agenda are attached.
Please review the attachments for complete details.
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.
Maintenance Forum Notes November 7, 2018
1) Introductions
2) Southeast Waterways Update:
Tiger Pass: The MVN last surveyed Tiger Pass on February 22, 2018, although an old survey identified a controlling depth of approximately 1 foot Mean Low Gulf (MLG) between Mile 9.5 to Mile 10.5 (jetty end). The last survey effort could not be completed the because of the extreme shoaling but provided enough information to update the estimated amount of material in the channel at 3.2 million cubic yards. The MVN reported on a potential Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDMAT) project for Tiger Pass with the Plaquemines Port identified as the local sponsor. The BUDMAT project is in the planning stages and contingent upon MVN receiving sufficient Operations & Maintenance funding to dredge and dispose of the material within the federal standard, this project is being proposed for Fiscal Year 2019 or Fiscal Year 2020 funding.
Baptiste Collette: The Corps received $12.9 million in supplemental funding that is expected to be sufficient to fund dredging operations ($5.5 million) and to perform rock work to fortify the jetties and channel boundaries ($7.4 million). The MVN intends to advertise a bid opening later this month for a cutterhead dredge contract to restore full channel dimensions with dredging expected to begin in December (2018). The MVN will issue a contract for the rock work and expects operations to commence during the second half of 2019. The Baptiste Collette jetties will be repaired and could also be extended.
3) Mississippi River Conditions Update:
Current Stage New Orleans: 10.3 feet
* Projected to remain fairly steady and reach 11.3 feet on November 18, 2018.
Current Stage Baton Rouge: 27.8 feet
* Projected to remain fairly steady and reach 31.4 feet by November 20, 2018.
* NOTE: The long-term Stage Forecasts are based on future rainfall over the next 48-hours only.
A. Crossings Between Baton Rouge and New Orleans:
The latest surveys and dredge locations for the Crossings are included in the attached agenda. The MVN is expected to complete Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 2018) dredging on the Crossings today (Friday, November 9, 2018) when the dustpan dredge WALALCE McGEORGE completes the assignment at Granada Crossing (Mile 203 AHP). The dustpan dredges JADWIN and HURLEY previsouly completed their assignments and departed the Crossings.
B. NewOrleansHarbor:
The FY 2018 dredging in the New Orleans Harbor has been completed.C. Southwest Pass (SWP):
No update. The MVN restored fully authorized channel dimensions in Southwest Pass and all dredging assignments have been completed. The MVN’s hopper dredge WHEELER is not scheduled to dredge in SWP until Readiness Exercise #1-2019 which is expected to be utilized in January or February 2019.
D. Head of Passes, Hopper Dredge Disposal Area (HDDA):
The MVN awarded a cutterhead dredge contract to remove 12 million cubic yards (mcy) of material from the HDDA to Weeks Marine, Inc. The cutterhead dredge R.S. WEEKS began dredging operations at the HDDA on Saturday, November 3, 2018. The material being dredged is being beneficially used in the Pass A Loutre Wildlife Management Area on the east side of the HDDA and Ship Channel. Weeks may pump some of the material into the West Bay Receiving Area at a later date, in order to do so the contractor would have to install a submerged dredge pipeline under the Ship Channel. The pipeline installation will require several scheduled twelve- hour channel closure, if the contractor does utilize the West Bay Receiving Area.
The navigation stakeholders and Pilot Associaitons will be issued a two-week notice prior to any required channel closures.
6) Next Meeting:
The next Forum meeting is scheduled for 0900 hours on December 5, 2018, at the MVN District Assembly Room A.
