The Mississippi River & Tributaries flood control system fought like a champ through the record-breaking floods of 2011. Now it has an estimated $2 billion worth of scars to prove it.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t have the money to fix the MR&T system, but it already has identified 2,534 locations that need attention, at least 160 of which it says would not be able to withstand another flood.In an effort to rally the kind of broad support that was behind the genesis of the Corps’ MR&T Project, which was created after the disastrous floods of 1927, on Aug.12

Eight pumps with a capacity totaling 13,920 cu ft per second were put through their paces on June 3, demonstrating that the $1-billion Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex near Harvey, La., is ready for operation this hurricane season.

Eight pumps with a capacity totaling 13,920 cu ft per second were put through their paces on June 3, demonstrating that the $1-billion Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex near Harvey, La., is ready for operation this hurricane season. Photo By Angelle Bergeron Eight 5,400-hp diesels drive the pumps to remove stormwater when the gates must be closed to defend against a storm surge. Photo By Angelle Bergeron The 1,740-cfs pumps got a “wet test” June 3, running two at a time for 10 minutes each. The complex consists of operating gates, t-walls and levees that are designed to close

The Mississippi River flood fight is keeping inspectors on the job around the clock, even as the bulge of highest water slides south. Contractors are fighting boils and seepage. Approximately 25 miles north of Vicksburg, Miss., crews performed emergency repairs on some 400 linear ft of mainline levee that sustained two slides on the land-side. USACE Inspectors look for slides, sand boils and other indications of structural compromise within the Mississippi River levee system. Observers first spotted the slides on May 16, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A Corps spokesperson says more such damage can be expected

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using a variety of measures, including opening three massive river diversion features—the Bonnet Carré, Birds Point-New Madrid and Morganza floodways—to relieve pressure on the Mississippi River watershed. Graphic courtesy USACE Water spewed skyward at the rate of 10,000 cu ft per second on May 14 as the first vertical-lift gate was opened on the Morganza Floodway. It was the Corps' third big control measure in the flood fight and marked the first time that three main control structures on the lower Mississippi were opened at the same time.The Corps' first move was blasting

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using a variety of measures, including opening three massive river diversion features—the Bonnet Carré, Birds Point-New Madrid and Morganza floodways—to relieve pressure on the Mississippi River watershed. Graphic: Courtesy USACE Water spewed skyward at the rate of 10,000 cu ft per second on May 14 as the first vertical-lift gate was opened on the Morganza Floodway. It was the Corps’ third big control measure in the flood fight and marked the first time that three main control structures on the lower Mississippi were opened at the same time. The Corps’ first move was

A general contractor is installing two 550-ton sector-gate leaves in a $1.3-billion barrier designed to reduce the risk of a hurricane’s storm surge on New Orleans’ exposed eastern side. The leaves will plug a big hole in the city’s armor for the 2011 hurricane season. Photo: Courtesy of USACE Ring wall shields two 550-ton sector-gate leaves when open and braces them against storm loads when closed. Massman Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., is installing the two 75-ft-wide, 42-ft-tall sector-gate leaves to form an armored door for a 150-ft-wide navigable passage through the 1.8-mile-long, 26-ft-plus-elevation barrier, known as the Inner Harbor

Two, 550-ton sector gate leaves poised for installation next week in a $1.3-billion barrier being built to reduce risk of hurricane storm surge entering New Orleans’ vulnerable, eastern side, will plug a gaping hole in the city’s armor for the 2011 hurricane season. On May 17, Massman Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., is scheduled to begin installing the two 75-ft-wide, 42-ft-tall sector gate leaves that will form the armored door to a 150-ft-wide navigable passage through the northern end of the 1.8-mile-long barrier, which is know as the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal-Lake Borgne Storm Surge Barrier. It is part of

Sometime this weekend, the Mississippi River’s flow at the Red River Landing in Louisiana is expected to reach 1.5 million cubic feet per second, the trigger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open the Morganza Floodway, which has the capacity to divert 600,000 cfs. By Angelle Bergeron Soldiers of Louisiana National Guards 769th Engineer Battalion place HESCO baskets in Morgan City, Louisiana, which is expected to receive flooding when the Morganza Floodway is opened this weekend. Operating the floodway could send 5 to +25 ft of floodwater across 3 million acres of farmlands and residences. But the Corps

Workers building the $409-million John James Audubon Bridge over the Mississippi River in Louisiana will have to complete construction with cars cruising by, after the contractor complied with a state request to open the bridge more than a month early to help the state cope with high river levels that shut down an alternative crossing. Photo By Wayne Marchand, Louisiana TIMED Managers Workers stand in the shadow of the podium and barricades as first traffic begins to move across the John James Audubon Bridge over the Mississippi River in Louisiana. The contractor opened the bridge more than a month early