High River Update For New Orleans !

Good News , But ..................................................

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Well , the Good News is , the river IS finally falling in New Orleans , down to fifteen feet and some change , the Morganza Spillway is all but closed and the Bonnet Carret Spillway is now partially closed . BUT the Missouri is flooding portions of Iowa with a thirty foot breach in the levee and at this point it is anyone's guess what type of fall we will see on the Lower Mississippi River !
The concern for any falling river is literally how fast will it fall ! The reason being is that it is generally felt and understood that a slow falling river will have the time to scour out the river crossings and thus keep them deep and a fast falling river will NOT have the time to scour out the river bottom in these same river crossings and NOT keep them deep ! Regardless , if it is a relatively shallow deep water crossing above Baton Rouge or a seriously deep water crossing below Baton Rouge , it is important that these deep water crossing remain deep in order to facilitate the respective vessels that will transit these crossings regardless of their same respective drafts !
Regardless , of the speed of the river fall , in my humble opinion , I am just pleased to see the river go down and return to some degree of normalcy so that all can once again go out on the river and then have to hold their breaths that the vessels that we operate and Pilot will remain in control and NOT run over another vessel or wind up on the other side of the levee !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70

Bonnet Carre' Spillway Finally Closed !

Greetings From New Orleans ,
Well , finally the " Powers That Be" , within the Corps Of Engineers has decided to entirely close the Bonnet Carre' Spillway !
The last of the spillway's bays were closed yesterday with the slow but steady fall of the Mississippi River .
Evidently , these same " Powers That Be " within the Corps Of Engineers believe that the flooding of the Missouri River will NOT have an immediate and substantial influence of the river levels on the Lower Mississippi River , so time will tell !
One thing that does amaze me is that for the most part , there were NO major high water marine accidents , there were NO major high water marine barge fleet break aways and there were NO major high water marine incidents of any kind ! Having said that , I do know from first hand experience that there were MANY major high water marine CLOSE CALLS that made Christians out of ALL of us that actually do work out there in that environment !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70

Ted Davisson;26302 wrote: Greetings From New Orleans ,
Well , the Good News is , the river IS finally falling in New Orleans , down to fifteen feet and some change , the Morganza Spillway is all but closed and the Bonnet Carret Spillway is now partially closed . BUT the Missouri is flooding portions of Iowa with a thirty foot breach in the levee and at this point it is anyone's guess what type of fall we will see on the Lower Mississippi River !
The concern for any falling river is literally how fast will it fall ! The reason being is that it is generally felt and understood that a slow falling river will have the time to scour out the river crossings and thus keep them deep and a fast falling river will NOT have the time to scour out the river bottom in these same river crossings and NOT keep them deep ! Regardless , if it is a relatively shallow deep water crossing above Baton Rouge or a seriously deep water crossing below Baton Rouge , it is important that these deep water crossing remain deep in order to facilitate the respective vessels that will transit these crossings regardless of their same respective drafts !
Regardless , of the speed of the river fall , in my humble opinion , I am just pleased to see the river go down and return to some degree of normalcy so that all can once again go out on the river and then have to hold their breaths that the vessels that we operate and Pilot will remain in control and NOT run over another vessel or wind up on the other side of the levee !
Smooth Sailing !
Ted Davisson
NOBRA 70