Shared Responsibility and Commitment Enables Delivery of HSDRRS
NEW ORLEANS - For nearly six years, the United States Army Corps of Engineers has worked with its many partners and contractors to design and construct a perimeter system that can defend against the effects of a storm surge that has a one percent chance of happening in any given year.
On September 9, senior representativ es from the Corps, the State of Louisiana and local non-federal sponsors will convene in New Orleans for a "Day of Recognition," an event to recognize the accomplishments made for the people of the Greater New Orleans area --- to deliver the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) that will defend the Greater New Orleans area against a 100-year storm surge.
"Shared responsibility and commitment with our partners has enabled our success in delivering the HSDRRS as promised," said Major General Michael J. Walsh, Commander, Mississippi Valley Division and Commander, Task Force Hope. "The efforts of this team of federal, state, local governments, levee authorities, levee boards, industry and others is historic and unparalleled."
After Hurricane Katrina, firm Administration commitment and quick Congressional action enabled the Corps and its partners --- the State of Louisiana, Levee Autho rities, local governments, the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, and industry --- to move forward on this major investment in public safety and hurricane and storm damage risk reduction.
The HSDRRS is the largest civil works project in Corps history and includes over 133 perimeter miles of levees, floodwalls, gates, surge barriers and other structures that form an integrated system, greatly reducing the risk of flooding from storm surges for the five-parish area.
The reconfiguration of the HSDRRS, and in particular the construction of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lake Borgne and Seabrook surge barriers; Interim Closure Structures at the 17th Street, Orleans Avenue and London Avenue outfall canals; and the West Closure Complex has pushed the line of protection outside the city and removed 68 miles of interior levees and floodwalls from direct exposure to storm surge.
Construction will continue beyond 2011 to complete other features of the program such as the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Damage Reduction Project (SELA), the Permanent Canal Closures and Pump Stations at the New Orleans Outfall Canals, the New Orleans to Venice project, Armoring and Environmental Mitigation.
Only small portions of the perimeter are closed with Engineered Interim Structures or have Engineered Construction Closures.
* Engineered Interim Structures meet the 100-year hydraulic, structural and geotechnical design criteria but are temporary and will be replaced by permanent features. The interim pumps and gates at the three outfall canals, which will be replaced with permanent canal closures and pumps, are examples of projects with engineered interim closure structures.
* Engineered Construction Closures are devices that can be deployed rapidly to close any gap in ongoing construction, e.g., Hesco baskets, to defend against storm surge.
"Construction of the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System has been and will continue to be a shared responsibility with our partners," said Mike Park, Chief of Task Force Hope.