Louisiana Shows How Flood Control Can Work at Massive Scale
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10 responses to “Louisiana Shows How Flood Control Can Work at Massive Scale”
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And then there is The Netherlands.
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Wait! Aren’t they known for windmills?
While not subject to hurricanes, North Sea storms ain’t slouches either.
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The windmills used to play a very large role in flood control, driving pumps. But not any more.
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Actually, the new ones do. They’re on the grid.
Virginia, VB specifically, has more in common with Texas, Houston specifically.
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Netherlands is about 16,000 sq mi. Virginia is about 42,000 sq mi.
We don’t need outrageously expensive flood control mechanisms to allow our population room to live.
Just stop developing coastal areas. Or, demand that the coastal areas immediately establish a fund to pay for the outrageously expensive anti-flooding measures.
You know, kind of like sky high transportation tolls and transportation tax surcharges in NoVa.
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I’ve also seen that what was done to help New Orleans means that some of the poorer outlying areas that could not get flood walls, etc. were hit even harder than before. We need to be aware of broad impacts, not just take care of one location to put another at more risk.
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There are finite amounts of everything involved – money, civil engineering expertise, time, qualified builders, – everything. Then there are the highest hurdles of all, the environmental laws. Take years to jump those if a project ever makes it.
So we can’t build castles everywhere, Irene. There has to be some benefit/cost analysis with a minimum score, as there is, to designate a project federal interest.
When I write about the federal approach to such projects, you will see that social benefits and costs to minorities, for example, and maintaining community integrity, are part of the calculation.
As are historical value of properties and literally pretty much everything you can imagine.
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Hampton Roads has successful organizations for handling water, waste water and trash disposal. Why not a unified authority for to work with the federal government and take a regional approach to building “hard” and “soft” flooding infrastructure? Is this a matter of nobody having thought of the idea?
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Perhaps the Hampton Roads Sanitation District itself should expand into this area.
They already have finance, planning, capital improvement and administrative structures in place. They also have extensive experience dealing with the state and federal governments. Most if not all of the localities who need flood protection are already members.
It stands to reason that the HRSD would be able to get a “flood control division” up and running much faster than a brand new Authority could.
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The HSDRRS is easily the most complex and successful civil engineering project of this century. It protects greater New Orleans including East Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish and St. Bernard Parish.
That is fantastic. I have questions:
1) Is between 0.5% and 1% of the original construction cost being budgeted each year for preventive maintenance of this infrastructure?
2) Is 1-2% of the original construction cost being set aside each year to fund the eventual replacement/renewal of this infrastructure?
3) Is there a comprehensive preventive maintenance plan in place for this infrastructure and is it being followed?
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