R. Reese Fuller

Water overtops Industrial Canal

by R. Reese Fuller

The Times-Picayune reports that water is overtopping the western side of the Industrial Canal floodwall in New Orleans but that Army Corps of Engineers officials say that it is not a major threat.

Water is overtopping for several hundred yards on the Upper Ninth Ward side of the Industrial Canal on both sides of the Claiborne Avenue bridge. Poland is parallel to the canal. Army Corps of Engineers said that the walls are designed to handle the overtopping without incident. The floodwalls have been strengthened since Katrina and are equipped with cement "spash pads" to prevent scouring from water coming over the walls, officials said. On the scene, the spillage was landing on the cement pads, which reduces its impact at the base of the wall.