Dredging of the Harbors & Marinas
Even before the hurricane, the harbors and marinas of West End desperately needed to be dredged, with boats often running aground in the channels, the problem is compounded now with new layers of silt and massive debris. This will potentially lead to injuries, and it is only a matter of time before this occurs. What will you do to correct this problem?
Jay Batt - As you may know I have successfully helped pass a $200 million bond issue, approved by voters, that addresses this issue. I fought for, and made certain that the dredging dollars were specifically included in that bond issue, as well as successfully pushing the Administration for the removal of the harbormaster who failed to maintain our important areas. The harbors are a diamond in the rough and must be properly maintained for all who love the water. It must and can be a safe, clean, family friendly economic engine for our city.
Sonia Gupta - I would love to provide an easy answer to this question, but I can't. You see, dredging of lakes and canals can create very serious environmental problems (as evinced by the situation surrounding MRGO). If I were to answer this question by telling you that I'll dredge the harbors and marinas to solve the problem, I would be proposing a solution that, if implemented, could have a disastrous effect on the environmental safeguards that protect our city, safeguards (like the wetlands) that have already been severely compromised. I learned, after performing some research on the issue of water turbidity (the circulation of lower level water currents) that there is a higher concentration of water circulation on the southshore of the lake, particularly in the area closest to New Orleans (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/pontchartrain/imagery/water.html).
This is because of higher water temperatures that create stronger wave currents in the area. As a result of this movement, more sediment is deposited on the southern end and therefore affects the marinas and harbors around West End. This is partially a natural occurrence but is also significantly affected by man-made processes. The US Geological Survey website states, "Shoreline erosion and wetlands loss are serious concerns in and around Lake Pontchartrain. Causes of loss involve a complex interaction between natural and human activities. Direct removal of land for canals, redistribution of material for development and other processes that alter hydrography create conditions of erosion, submergence and degradation of vegetation. In general, the utilization of Pontchartrain Basin's natural resources, steady population growth and land development over the past century have contributed to the shoreline and wetland loss that we see today. Natural subsidence, a result of dewatering in geologically young sediments, also contributes to the loss in currently unknown proportions." I propose the creation of a panel of engineers and experts who, in cooperation with USGS, can study the effects of dredging any portions of the lake and its surrounding waterways to see if there are ways to reduce the amount of buildup of silt along the bottom of the harbors and marinas without dredging. If you want to find some information about the natural and unnatural processes that cause sediment buildup, check out: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/pontchartrain/
As for the debris in the lake, all of us know just how filthy Lake Pontchartrain has become in the last few decades. The solution to that problem is not going to revolve around band aids like dredging that, if applied continuously, could just place the lake in even worse condition. As a community, we have got to understand that the environmental failings of our state and of our city have simply got to stop. To that end, I would promote the creation of an educational campaign that will supplement, with information and with funding, the coastal restoration and lake preservation movements that have been started by conscientious citizens. I will also support the creation of city-funded environmental restoration projects that will place a focus on cleaning the lake and protecting it from further pollution. I'm very frustrated by the way that our citizens treat the lake. For example, a month or so before the storm I was eating dinner with friends on the deck at Jaeger's. We were enjoying being outside, watching the sunset, despite the fact that the wind was making it hard to keep our napkins on our laps. I noticed that several people eating next to us on the deck had lost their paper napkins to the wind and were making no attempt to keep the trash on their table secure. As a result, a huge amount of plastic wrappers from crackers, as well as paper napkins, were just blowing right into the lake. It was very distressing. When I remarked about this pollution to the waitress, she just said, "well, I guess that everyone's doing it so don't worry about it." I was very upset to see such disregard for the well-being of our lake. It is this kind of attitude that has made our lake so filthy in the first place. I have heard that, not so long ago, there was a time when you could actually safely swim in the lake (can you believe it? I wouldn't stick a toe in that lake today.) knowing that it wasn't contaminated. Maintaining the cleanliness of our lake is of paramount concern because no amount of dredging will solve the problems we have if we don't stop the cycle from continuing in the first place. If the pollution of the Pontchartrain basin, which drains land in a number of Louisiana parishes, continues, there will be no lake worth enjoying.
Ray Landeche - We should spend our tax dollars where they are collected by bringing transparency and accountability to government. District A currently puts much more into the city coffers than we receive in services. Fair City government can fix this problem and the streets of our district as well!
David Nowak - I'm sure we could work some sort of dredging in the west end when looking to fill in those malfunctioning canals. Of course, this is just one of myriads of problems that must be addressed in a timely manner.
Stephen Saussy - Witnessing many boats aground at the mouth of the harbor, it was obvious dredging was needed. Clearing this water way would be a priority for me and I would seek assistance from the government. Recently, St. Tammany Parish received federal funding for clearing their water ways because of the debris and the potential for spring flooding. Realizing our concern is different we should be eligible for assistance especially because many of the sunken objects are a result of Katrina.
Candidates Shelly Stephenson Midura, Sal Palmisano & Tom Wagner did not provide an answer to this question.
Jay Batt - As you may know I have successfully helped pass a $200 million bond issue, approved by voters, that addresses this issue. I fought for, and made certain that the dredging dollars were specifically included in that bond issue, as well as successfully pushing the Administration for the removal of the harbormaster who failed to maintain our important areas. The harbors are a diamond in the rough and must be properly maintained for all who love the water. It must and can be a safe, clean, family friendly economic engine for our city.
Sonia Gupta - I would love to provide an easy answer to this question, but I can't. You see, dredging of lakes and canals can create very serious environmental problems (as evinced by the situation surrounding MRGO). If I were to answer this question by telling you that I'll dredge the harbors and marinas to solve the problem, I would be proposing a solution that, if implemented, could have a disastrous effect on the environmental safeguards that protect our city, safeguards (like the wetlands) that have already been severely compromised. I learned, after performing some research on the issue of water turbidity (the circulation of lower level water currents) that there is a higher concentration of water circulation on the southshore of the lake, particularly in the area closest to New Orleans (http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/pontchartrain/imagery/water.html).
This is because of higher water temperatures that create stronger wave currents in the area. As a result of this movement, more sediment is deposited on the southern end and therefore affects the marinas and harbors around West End. This is partially a natural occurrence but is also significantly affected by man-made processes. The US Geological Survey website states, "Shoreline erosion and wetlands loss are serious concerns in and around Lake Pontchartrain. Causes of loss involve a complex interaction between natural and human activities. Direct removal of land for canals, redistribution of material for development and other processes that alter hydrography create conditions of erosion, submergence and degradation of vegetation. In general, the utilization of Pontchartrain Basin's natural resources, steady population growth and land development over the past century have contributed to the shoreline and wetland loss that we see today. Natural subsidence, a result of dewatering in geologically young sediments, also contributes to the loss in currently unknown proportions." I propose the creation of a panel of engineers and experts who, in cooperation with USGS, can study the effects of dredging any portions of the lake and its surrounding waterways to see if there are ways to reduce the amount of buildup of silt along the bottom of the harbors and marinas without dredging. If you want to find some information about the natural and unnatural processes that cause sediment buildup, check out: http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/pontchartrain/
As for the debris in the lake, all of us know just how filthy Lake Pontchartrain has become in the last few decades. The solution to that problem is not going to revolve around band aids like dredging that, if applied continuously, could just place the lake in even worse condition. As a community, we have got to understand that the environmental failings of our state and of our city have simply got to stop. To that end, I would promote the creation of an educational campaign that will supplement, with information and with funding, the coastal restoration and lake preservation movements that have been started by conscientious citizens. I will also support the creation of city-funded environmental restoration projects that will place a focus on cleaning the lake and protecting it from further pollution. I'm very frustrated by the way that our citizens treat the lake. For example, a month or so before the storm I was eating dinner with friends on the deck at Jaeger's. We were enjoying being outside, watching the sunset, despite the fact that the wind was making it hard to keep our napkins on our laps. I noticed that several people eating next to us on the deck had lost their paper napkins to the wind and were making no attempt to keep the trash on their table secure. As a result, a huge amount of plastic wrappers from crackers, as well as paper napkins, were just blowing right into the lake. It was very distressing. When I remarked about this pollution to the waitress, she just said, "well, I guess that everyone's doing it so don't worry about it." I was very upset to see such disregard for the well-being of our lake. It is this kind of attitude that has made our lake so filthy in the first place. I have heard that, not so long ago, there was a time when you could actually safely swim in the lake (can you believe it? I wouldn't stick a toe in that lake today.) knowing that it wasn't contaminated. Maintaining the cleanliness of our lake is of paramount concern because no amount of dredging will solve the problems we have if we don't stop the cycle from continuing in the first place. If the pollution of the Pontchartrain basin, which drains land in a number of Louisiana parishes, continues, there will be no lake worth enjoying.
Ray Landeche - We should spend our tax dollars where they are collected by bringing transparency and accountability to government. District A currently puts much more into the city coffers than we receive in services. Fair City government can fix this problem and the streets of our district as well!
David Nowak - I'm sure we could work some sort of dredging in the west end when looking to fill in those malfunctioning canals. Of course, this is just one of myriads of problems that must be addressed in a timely manner.
Stephen Saussy - Witnessing many boats aground at the mouth of the harbor, it was obvious dredging was needed. Clearing this water way would be a priority for me and I would seek assistance from the government. Recently, St. Tammany Parish received federal funding for clearing their water ways because of the debris and the potential for spring flooding. Realizing our concern is different we should be eligible for assistance especially because many of the sunken objects are a result of Katrina.
Candidates Shelly Stephenson Midura, Sal Palmisano & Tom Wagner did not provide an answer to this question.
posted by TAG at 1:13 PM
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