NEW ORLEANS — The large permanent pump stations at the mouth of the 17th Street, Orleans, and London Avenue Canals play a vital role in New Orleans’ flood risk reduction system.
The massive pumps move rainwater out of the canals into Lake Pontchartrain while keeping storm surges from entering the city during tropical weather.
The Army Corps of Engineers has inspected all 17 pumps and found varying degrees of corrosion.
“We did determine each one is going to need to some degree rehabilitation or repair,” Army Corps spokesman Ricky Boyette said.
Boyett added crews are already repairing the first four pumps.
One at 17th Street has just gone back online and is undergoing testing. We have another one that will be back online by the first of June. We also have two at London Avenue that are being reassembled and they will be back online by the 25th of May.”
The pumps were installed in 2018 and designed to last 35 years.
The Corps of Engineers and the joint venture that built the pumps reached a settlement that would cover the cost of fixing the pumps.
In some cases that means replacing carbon steel parts with stainless steel or sandblasting and recoating the pumps.
Lakeshore resident Brad Casey said the corrosion issue is disappointing.
“After all the time and money that was invested in the pumps to try and protect our area, they are just basically falling apart,” Casey said.
But, he says he’s happy the Corps is addressing the problem.
“Hurricane season is around the corner, and everybody gets nervous,” Casey said. “The big question in our city is do the pumps work? I guess we’re now finding out they are working but need some improvements.”
According to the Corps of Engineers, no work will be done on the pumps during hurricane season which begins on June 1.
“That’s going to give us the capacity of stockpiling the parts that we need, as well as obviously we’re learning lessons with each of these pumps that we’re working on this year, so we’ll have greater efficiency moving into the next hurricane season,” Boyett said.
The repairs are expected to take up to three years to complete.
According to the settlement agreement, the Corps will contribute $24 million.
The manufacturer is expected to put up the rest of the money to correct the pump problems.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.