Bruce Biles, editor of the New Orleans News Ladder, provided valuable background on the history of the wet spot.
Approximately 40 to 50 yards from the base of the levee the "little wet spot" as reported and photographed by the Associated Press in May has grown significantly. A hydrologist would have to do a study to determine the exact flow of the leak, but at street level, not far from the three bubbling source points of the leak, a miniature wetland has formed and is currently inhabited by two friendly ducks. One can only hope that the ducks do not meet the same fate as the pigs and trees.
In the interim, residents in the neighborhood of the 17th Street canal are watching the "little wet spot" expand and begin a slow flow towards their neighborhood. They do not know if the levee is sound, and the American public does not know if the spin offered to media lapdogs by Galloway, the man who investigated and oversaw Mississippi River levee management and construction, is sound.
Therein lies the rub. There is now a vacant lot directly across the street from the little wet spot and the ducks. This house used to be there.
Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is in town today giving a luncheon address in Jefferson. We tried to get her to come out to the 17th Street Canal with us, but her press spokesperson indicated the schedule was too tight, and that the Senator was "aware of the situation. We sent the accompanying photos over to her office.
Landrieu is set to issue a statement later today and we will update this post when it becomes available.
We are also waiting for a statement from the New Orleans USACE. We will post it if and when it becomes available.
Meanwhile Levee.org's Rosenthal issued this statement to Google News:
"A whopping forty-three percent (43%) of the American population lives in counties protected by levees. And as we have seen, levee failure is devastating no matter how high above sea level the protected area may be.
"Many thought New Orleans flooded because of its geography, however, the flooded towns in the Midwest last week were at least 400 feet above sea level. At the risk of sounding cliché, nearly half of all American citizens are in the same boat as New Orleans.
"The flooding in the Midwest, like the flooding in New Orleans, is a mainly a failure of the civil engineering profession. And when it comes to the most important levees, the US Army Corps of Engineers is in charge."
After a filled schedule in New Orleans today, Senator Landrieu provided the following statement:
“The situation at the 17th street canal raises concern, and I have already beenin contact with the Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that they are monitoring
and addressing this situation adequately. As we face continual reminders that
our infrastructure is declining, I only become more resolute in my efforts to
restore this nation’s levees, bridges and dams so that they are capable of
protecting our citizens and serving the functions for which they were intended.
I will stay on top of the situation at the 17th street canal and work toward a
quick resolution.”
The bottom line.
UPDATE
In fairness, here are the answers to questions posed to the USACE New Orleans Office regarding the 17th Street Canal. Responses were delayed, but Senator Landrieu was in town today.
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