MVN 60-Day Lock Status Forecast 92120
The Corps’ Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) District’s Lock and Waterway Status 60-Day Forecast as issued today (Monday, September 21, 2020) is attached. Please note the updates were generated by the impact of Tropical Storm Beta as it approaches the Lake Charles area.
The updated or revised status reports are highlighted in bold and lists conditions on the Calcasieu River Saltwater Barrier and Catfish Point Control Structure, Inner Harbor Navigation Canal (IHNC), Old River, Algiers, and Bayou Beouf Locks and the East and West Calumet Floodgates.
CALCASIEU RIVER SALTWATER BARRIER:
The Saltwater Barrier will be left open but be unmanned until the Tropical Storm has cleared the area:
“Calcasieu River Saltwater Barrier gates will remain open but the structure will be unmanned beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, 21 September 2020. This status will continue until further notice, due to the potential threat of Tropical Storm Beta. Although the gates will be in the open position, if mariners choose to navigate through the structure, they will have to do so at their own risk and proceed with extreme caution.
The structure will be reopened as soon as the storm is no longer a threat and conditions allow. “
CATFISH POINT CONTROL STRUCUTRE:
The Control Structure will be closed due to the expected saltwater intrusion from Tropical Storm Beta with operations discontinued and unmanned until the Tropical Storm has cleared the area:
“Catfish Point Control Structure will discontinue operations, closing its gates and be unmanned beginning at approximately 12 noon on Monday, 21 September 2020. This status will continue until further notice, due to the potential threat of Tropical Storm Beta.
The structure will be reopened as soon as the storm is no longer a threat and conditions allow.”
IHNC LOCK:
The IHNC Lock will be closed to navigation as scheduled beginning on Friday, September 4, 2020 and continuing for approximately 60-days:
“IHNC Lock will be closed to navigation around the clock, 24hrs per day beginning 04 Sep 2020 and lasting approximately 60 days while the structure is dewatered for major repair work.”
*The recurring weather systems and the spike in elevated river stages could impact the schedule for returning the IHNC Lock to operation beyond the 60-day closure estimate.
OLD RIVER LOCK:
The Old River Lock will be periodically closed to navigation for extended periods of time to preform Bulkhead Carriage Load Testing. Navigation will be allowed to pass between test cycles:
“Continuing until 30 September 2020, Old River Lock will periodically be closed to navigation for up to 4 days at a time to perform operational load tests on the newly installed Emergency Bulkhead Lowering Carriage Machinery.
Navigation will be allowed to pass between load test cycles. The maximum estimated time for a load test cycle will be 4 days. Old River Lock plans to clear the queue between load tests cycles before starting another load test cycle.”
ALGIERS LOCK:
The Algiers Lock continues to operate with special restrictions in place due the unstable condition of the dolphin structure adjacent to the upstream river end guide wall:
“Effective immediately at Algiers Lock and continuing until further notice, mariners are advised to avoid the dolphin and the end of the long river end guide wall. The dolphin adjacent to the end of the upstream, river end guide wall is unstable and is a hazard to mariners. Tows in both directions are restricted to a maximum length of 600 feet.”
BAYOU BOEUF LOCK:
The replacement of the Bayou Boeuf Lock’s Chamber Guide Wall continues with daytime closures and is scheduled to be completed in October 2020 with full details reproduced below:
“As of Wednesday, 11 Sep 2019 Bayou Boeuf Lock is closed to navigation from 7 am until 7 pm (Daylight Hours), Mondays thru Thursdays until approximately 26 Oct 2020 to construct the new south side chamber guide wall.”
EAST and WEST CALUMET FLOODGATES:
The East and West Calumet Floodgates remain closed due to heavy siltation in the channel:
“Continuing until further notice, East and West Calumet Floodgate will remain closed to navigation due to heavy siltation in the channel making it unsafe for navigation.”
