As a coastal city, New Orleans has a love-hate relationship with the Mississippi River. On the one hand, it plays a key role in food supply, commerce and transportation. On the other hand, living so close to the water means the ever-present threat of flooding.
Recently, New Orleans has been on high alert for the latter since the waters at the Carrollton gauge has risen to 16 feet in May—just one foot below the official flood stage. As a result, east bank levee authorities have put a temporary ban against digging, pile driving, and underground work within 1,500 feet of the levees. Such construction work may provide a pathway for the water in the river to push past the levees, which might lead to failure of the levees and therefore flooding in the city. If contractors and companies wish to undertake such work, they would need to secure a permit from flood protection authorities first.
Engineering at Work
While this restriction might delay crucial work from being completed, civil engineers agree that taking such precautions are a must if massive flooding is to be avoided. As you might know, the network of levees around the city represent one of the biggest engineering measures against the Mississippi River’s encroaching waters, and ensuring their structural integrity is a must. Read more from this blog: http://bit.ly/2uq0FT6
ILSI Engineering 