BAYOU ST. JOHN WATER LEVEL TO RISE

February 26, 2019 by Charlie London

Flood gate at Lake Ponchartrain to be opened today February 26, 2019

photo by Charles London

While we (Flood Protection Authority) have kept the water level in BSJ low the last few weeks to support the invasive species efforts, the water level is now too low and causing other issues. We need to add more water now, and must do it today since the Corps is opening the Bonnet Carre spillway tomorrow. If we wait, the spillway water in the lake will cause greater impacts to BSJ if we open the gate later in the week.

After consulting with John Lopez and LPBF, we have decided to open the gate halfway at 1pm today for approximately 2 hours to add an additional 1+ foot of water to the bayou. We are opening the gate vs using the valves because there is a large quantity of giant salvinia stacked up against the valves. LDWF has their boom on the inside of the gate which should help stopping any plants from getting too far in. We have also been coordinating with LDWF about spraying and the additional boom on the outside; I know they are working the issue but weather has hindered them and we cannot wait any longer.

Thanks,

Derek

Derek E. Boese Chief Administrative Officer Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East Email: [email protected] Office: 504-286-3100 

photo by Charles London

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AUTOMATIC RETRACTABLE SCREEN STORMWATER INLET PROTECTION DEVICES

April 4, 2017 by Charlie London

Thanks to Robert Thompson for sending this in…
Article courtesy Forester Magazines

Protecting Storm Drain Inlets

Everybody loves a party, and nobody loves a good time more than New Orleans, particularly during Mardi Gras when nearly one and a half million visitors flood the city, more than tripling its usual population. But after any good time, there is a lot to clean up from the festivities, and street trash is an overwhelming burden. This year the city had help, thanks to the Wing-Gate automatic retractable screen (ARS) stormwater inlet protection devices from California-based United Storm Water Inc. and United Pumping Services.

Company stormwater sales manager Terry Flury explains how the specialized protection devices help municipalities cope with the everyday headache of trapping trash and protecting stormwater. “Although we originated in southern California, compliance with increasingly stringent policies of municipal separate stormwater sewer systems [MS4s] across the country is helping drive our popularity. Our full-capture devices are all stainless steel and have a five-millimeter perforated screen that prevents items as small as a cigarette butt from entering storm drains.

“We also have stormwater filter DrainPacs that filter out hydrocarbons, and we can customize the filter media to address whatever the customer needs. For example, if you’re concerned about heavy metals, oils, or fertilizer, the filter media could be Perlite, activated carbon, or whatever you might need to address the problem.”

And customizing the product is all in a day’s work, even when it’s a rush to meet the deadline for arguably the country’s biggest, or at least most enthusiastic, outdoor party.

“We recently did a Wing-Gate screen install on Bourbon Street in New Orleans,” explains Flury, “and we had to come up with a special design. Our standard ARS screens are configured completely different and could not accommodate the New Orleans street grate models, which are very unusual and strange looking, made around 1900, and all cast iron with multi-phased support legs.”

Flury says the city wanted something in place by Mardi Gras 2016, so the design team was challenged to come up with a new configuration.

“We did a pilot test of 30 basins and came up with a Wing-Gate design that was completely different. This went through [the city’s] approval process and we had the screens in place well before Mardi Gras.”

City officials were pleased, he says. “We’re now working on a plan to eventually do the whole city.”

The Wing-Gate devices, he explains, are automatic retractable screens that respond to the incoming water, both retaining trash and allowing water to flow. The ARS fits right into the curb openings; in dry months the screen prevents trash from entering the catch basins, and during rain events it opens after water reaches about 40% of curb height. Connector screens then act as a second line of defense for debris, protecting the outlet pipes.

Sometimes meeting client needs has to address more than making a new size or configuration. Flury describes how the bright stainless steel of the ARS was virtually a magnet for scrap collectors in some urban areas. “So for customers who need it, what we’ve done is simply finish the stainless in flat black paint with a powder coating, which replicates plastic and draws far less attention and protects their investment.”

Since the company actually comprises two entities—United Stormwater and United Pumping—Flury says they can manage not only client stormwater needs, but also hazardous waste.

“If we run into a hazardous waste issue, we can act in a remedial capacity. For example, if we run into an oil spill, oil in storm drains, our crews will come and dam up the area and either broom off or vacuum the oil. We really have the best of both worlds when it comes to managing and protecting our water.”

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