The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' involvement in New Orleans dates back to 1803, when an Army engineer was sent to the newly acquired city to study its defenses. The Corps' early work in the area was of a military nature, but soon expanded to include navigation and flood control, which have been New Orleans District's primary missions ever since.

Today the district builds upon these long-standing responsibilities with its commitment to environmental engineering, using our respected engineering expertise to help solve today's environmental challenges.

Navigation

By 1829, Army engineers had turned their attention to the development and maintenance of safe river channels. The Mississippi River -- a vital transportation link between the Gulf of Mexico and the nation's heartland -- was a dangerous waterway littered with snags (toppled trees), shoals and wrecked ships. Navigable waterways were vital to settlement, commerce and growth. The Corps was directed to make them safer and more reliable.
 

Today, New Orleans District's navigation work has grown to include the maintenance of 2,8OO miles of navigable waterways -- the largest maintenance dredging program in the Corps -- the operation and maintenance of 11 locks and six control structures that service navigation, and extensive revetment work (reinforcing riverbeds and banks with concrete).

Flood Control

While navigation remained the Corps' primary role for the next 100 years, a series of floods -- the largest occurring in 1927 -- made it clear that more effective flood control was needed. Years of experience on the river made the Corps the natural choice for such a task, and flood control became the Corps' second important mission in the area.

Most of New Orleans District's flood control work falls under the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project. This project is a flood control plan consisting of four elements: levees, to contain flood waters; floodways, that provide an outlet for excess flood waters; channel improvement and stabilization, to improve a river's flood carrying capacity; and tributary improvement, which includes reservoirs, pumping stations and control structures.

New Orleans District flood protection work has played a significant role in transforming southern Louisiana from a hazardous floodplain to a modern, secure home for people and industry.

Environmental Engineering

New Orleans District continues to build on its commitment and achievements in environmental engineering, and is working with state and other federal agencies to address this region's critical and complex environmental challenges.

Louisiana's coastal wetlands -- 4O percent of the nation's total -- are a valuable resource that are disappearing at a rate of 25 square miles a year. The district is combating this process with innovative engineering projects. Freshwater diversion structures push back saltwater intrusion and slow the state of marsh destruction. Wetland habitats blossom after the placement of dredge spoil in subsiding marsh. Eroding barrier islands are shored up by a combination of retention dikes and strategically placed shoal material. These projects and others place New Orleans District in the forefront of the battle to preserve and restore Louisiana's coastal zone.

Environmentally beneficial projects, such as freshwater diversion structures and marsh and barrier island restoration will help preserve nature's bounty for future generations.

The district is also instrumental in carrying out the provisions of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act of 1990. Notably, district team members hold key positions on a multi-agency task force that is planning and constructing various short and long-term projects to protect the coastal marshes of Louisiana.

Contact:
Kathy Gibbs
Chief, Public Affairs
New Orleans, LA
504-862-2201 
Kathy.Gibbs@usace.army.mil

Page updated: July 27, 2007