The construction of the saltwater sill to the first targeted elevation of -55 feet was completed yesterday. Weeks Marine has relocated the buoys (locations noted below) marking the one-way channel for Contact Pilot coordinated transits, moved the spill barge and cutterhead dredge J.S. CHATRY over towards the western side. The Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB) from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) is attached, the USCG will use the daily U.S. Coast Guard, Captain of the Port New Orleans Navigation Outlook to update transit conditions, the conditions in the MSIB are expected to be updated in the “Navigation Outlook” to indicate the new buoy locations and free up an upriver portion of the Alliance Anchorage (expected). 

The dredge was moved to the west bank of the Borrow area is located on mile 65.3.

X: 3707478.3545

Y: 444737.7717

Lat: 29 42 57.8099 N

Long: 089 59 21.3183 W

 

Also, the white buoys were relocated on the following locations.

 

Buoy #1 X: 3710875.79 Y: 440014.28

Buoy #2 X: 3711026.25 Y: 439748

Buoy #3 X: 3711684.91 Y: 438520.25

Buoy #4 X: 3711771.34 Y: 438343.53

Due to increases in the river stage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now more hopeful that the saltwater sill’s height will not require augmentation to -30 feet with a 620-feet navigation notch. The river stage forecasts have gone up significantly this week, mainly due to the precipitation driven by Hurricane Helene’s impact. The USACE will continue to monitor the saltwater wedge and salinity levels with the hat was last recorded on at Mile AHP 

The Carrollton Gage (New Orleans) reading at 0900 hours today was 4.14 feet with a 24-hour change of – 0.33 feet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service Extended Streamflow Prediction (28-Day) for the Carrollton Gage issued today forecasts that stages will rise to 5.2 feet on October 11 and will then resume a slow fall to 3.7 feet on October 25 (2024).

*On Monday, September 23 the forecast indicated a high of 3.8 feet and a low of 2.3 feet.