March 12, 2021 By Waterways Journal
With the Carrollton Gage near river mile 103 on the Lower Mississippi River surpassing 11 feet, the New Orleans Engineer District announced March 11 the start of its Phase 1 flood fight operations.
When the river rises above 11 feet at Carrollton, the Corps, in coordination with local levee districts, begins twice weekly levee patrols.
“The increased patrols help ensure our ability to respond quickly to any problem areas that may develop along the levee system because of the elevated water levels,” the Corps said in a statement.
According to the National Weather Service’s forecast, the Mississippi River at New Orleans is expected to crest at about 13 feet on or about March 18, then begin to drop a week later. By the start of April, the National Weather Service expects the river to fall below 10 feet.
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March 8, 2021 By Frank McCormack
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released its Marine Accident Brief detailing a March 15, 2020, incident that involved the mv. Cooperative Spirit, part of ADM ARTCO’s river transportation fleet, striking the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge near Luling, La., on the Lower Mississippi River. The Cooperative Spirit was traveling downstream at 1:13 a.m. when the port side of its tow struck a pier of the Hale Boggs Bridge. The Cooperative Spirit was pushing a 29-barge tow at the time.
Following the allision, the tow broke apart, with one of the barges sinking. The Cooperative Spirit and other vessels in the area caught the remaining 28 barges, but not before multiple barges from the tow struck other barges moored at the riverbank. Two barges were later determined to be a total loss. NTSB estimated the cost of damages and cargo to be $1.65 million.