New Orleans completes drainage project

A $61.7 million drainage system has been completed in New Orleans just in time to help residents and businesses cope with spring rain floods and the hurricane season.

"The new system will make a dramatic difference in rainfall flood protection in uptown and Broadmoor, two of our most flood-prone neighborhoods," said Mayor Ray Nagin, president of the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans.

"This had been achieved by increasing pump station capacity and adding new covered canals," said Col. Peter J. Rowan, district engineer, New Orleans District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineer.

"Second, to harness gravity better once again, the new canals were dug as much as 5 ft. deeper to compensate for a corresponding loss of elevation more than 90 years," Rowan said.

The system includes four projects. The final project is a covered canal, or underground box culvert, that extends 1,320 ft. along South Claiborne Avenue from Jena Street to Louisiana Avenue.

Maximum dimensions of the $15.2 million covered canal are 10 ft. deep and 24 ft. wide.

The Corps of Engineers and the Sewerage & Water Board built the new system. It is part of the SELA rain-flood protection project. SELA's full name is Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project.

The Corps and local partners in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes are building it. Costs are shared 75 percent federal and 25 percent local.