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Morganza 101 for dummies
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:48 am
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:48 am
Why is opening up the morganza such a bigger deal than opening up the spillway?
Does the morganza like directly flood cities and residential areas? If it does, aren't they saying it would flood regardless?
Just in totality, what the hell is the big damn deal?
Does the morganza like directly flood cities and residential areas? If it does, aren't they saying it would flood regardless?
Just in totality, what the hell is the big damn deal?
8
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:49 am to Chad504boy
quote:
big damn deal
ISWYDT
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:53 am to Early Cuyler
it looks to me like the water ends up in the same place regardless of the route it takes. The orcs can only divert 600 k cfs, when that taps out and is still not keeping 1.5 mil cfs out of br you have to open the second hole to the a.r.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:55 am to Chad504boy
quote:
aren't they saying it would flood regardless?
No question the flooding will be much much worse if Morganza is opened.
There is a big difference between opening Bonne Carre and Morganza. There is a lot more homes and crops that will be impacted by the opening of Morganza.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 11:57 am to Chad504boy
quote:
Why is opening up the morganza such a bigger deal than opening up the spillway?
People live and farm INSIDE the Morganza Floodway on their own private property. You flood them immediately when you open it (yes, they assumed the risk but it is still not something to do without much thought). There is also much more backwater flooding and Morgan City invloved.
None of this is a problem with BC. All you do is change the salinity of the Lake and maybe raise the gage in and around Slidell/N.O. East marginally.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:18 pm to Chad504boy
Flooding the Morganza will wipe out about 18,000 acres of crops. If the USDA does not designate the opening of the spillway as a natural disaster then framers are SOL because they can't make a claim on crop insurance.
Additionally, the loss of the crops will indirectly drive up prices on a number of goods.
It's a shitty situation considering how much LA relies on agriculture.
Additionally, the loss of the crops will indirectly drive up prices on a number of goods.
It's a shitty situation considering how much LA relies on agriculture.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:24 pm to MSTiger33
Met with corps of engineers again this morning and went through their updated maps which will be updated later on their website. If you don't open morganza, everything between here and new Orleans has the potential to flood badly. Yet the trashy parishes still flood. It's just not as bad. Better open them up and hope the farmers plan for it. People in this state choose to live in some shitty spots.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:30 pm to Chad504boy
quote:
If it does, aren't they saying it would flood regardless?
According to ACOE, the river is going to crest over the Morganza anyway. Opening it is just increasing the amount of water that will be coming in and doing it sooner.
The big "dam" deal (hah!) is that if it's not opened, the extra stress that will be added to the river levee in BR and NO could cause a breach. Such a breach could potentially effect 40% of the state's population.
By opening the Morganza, 25-50k (ish) folks will be flooded out and it SHOULD (key word) pull enough water to keep a major breach from happening. This isn't guaranteed though, so opening the Morganza comes down to trying to make a no-win situation into the least shittiest outcome possible.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:30 pm to Chazz Reinhold
quote:
Yet the trashy parishes still flood. It's just not as bad. Better open them up and hope the farmers plan for it. People in this state choose to live in some shitty spots
many outside of N.O. would say this about N.O.?
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:31 pm to Chazz Reinhold
I agree. Krotz Springs can use a bath. I am more concerned with the present and future economic impact on such pristine farmland. Can you imagine the crap floating in that river that will be dumped on the soil? Nasty.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:32 pm to MSTiger33
quote:
It's a shitty situation considering how much LA relies on agriculture.
Not really as shitty considering how much La relies on the Port of New Orleans and Tourism. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake. The farmers assumed that risk when they planted their crops. It is what it is!
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:34 pm to MSTiger33
On the flip side will it not help the farmland in the future. The reason the Delta is so fertile was because it used to flood a lot
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:36 pm to Chazz Reinhold
quote:
If you don't open morganza, everything between here and new Orleans has the potential to flood badly.
True.
I think the issue that really is scary is that if they open the spillway and the control structures fail, then the path of the river could shift to the west (into the Achafalya), which is what the Mississippi River wants to do naturally. If the river were to shift, then life as we know it in BR and NOLA could change forever due to the fact that these cities are so reliant upon the Mississippi river. The river would still flow somewhat through BR and NOLA, but it wouldn't be as large as it is today.
*This is the doomsday scenario, not necessarily what is expected to happen if the spillway is opened.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:36 pm to STEVED00
quote:
It's a shitty situation considering how much LA relies on agriculture.
Not really as shitty considering how much La relies on the Port of New Orleans and Tourism. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake. The farmers assumed that risk when they planted their crops. It is what it is!
actually agriculture still employs more people in la than tourism and the port combined - by a long long long shot.
and people built houses well below sea level.... it is what it is now isn't it.
This post was edited on 5/12/11 at 12:37 pm
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:43 pm to Sid in Lakeshore
quote:
None of this is a problem with BC. All you do is change the salinity of the Lake and maybe raise the gage in and around Slidell/N.O. East marginally.
Yeah, Bonnet Carre just screws with the oysters, from what I understand. Morganza will frick with people.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:44 pm to choupiquesushi
I also read that this area accounts for 10% of LA's onshore oil and gas production.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:52 pm to Chad504boy
There was a guy on one of the WWL radio shows yesterday (pretty sure it was a Corps guy). He said that back in '28 when they came up with this plan after the '27 flood, they paid for flood easements (right of ways).
He said that most or all of the land inside the morganza contains these and they run with the land.
Regarding the Bonnet Carrie - I'm pretty sure a lot of the dirt that is used in the River Parishes to build up people's yards when they build houses come from there. So those guys should be in dirt for quite awhile after this.
He said that most or all of the land inside the morganza contains these and they run with the land.
Regarding the Bonnet Carrie - I'm pretty sure a lot of the dirt that is used in the River Parishes to build up people's yards when they build houses come from there. So those guys should be in dirt for quite awhile after this.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 12:54 pm to TxTiger82
quote:
Yeah, Bonnet Carre just screws with the oysters, from what I understand. Morganza will frick with people.
BC
doesn't screw with oysters as much as people blab... prior to the 1930s.. high river flowed through there anyway....
being somewhat well schooled in hydrodynamics...
a big fear with morganza is just how much the floodway(basin) has changed in the 38 years since it was last opened. ie.. more heavily forested and increased sedimentary deposited - water may not flow through as easily as it is intended. which may/could cause many other problems..
Posted on 5/12/11 at 1:16 pm to choupiquesushi
quote:
actually agriculture still employs more people in la than tourism and the port combined - by a long long long shot.
I'm not sure if I believe this stat however economically the port and tourism a way more important to the economy of LA. These areas have KNOWN this is a possibility. It was a risk to begin with.
Posted on 5/12/11 at 1:19 pm to STEVED00
quote:
I'm not sure if I believe this stat however economically the port and tourism a way more important to the economy of LA
you are very wrong
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