17th Street Canal status
Orleans Parish (east) side of canal
Northern Reach (5814 – 6772 Bellaire Drive) Surveys to delineate the right-of-way and levee toe in the 116 properties in the northern reach were completed in July 2007. At each property along the levee, surveyors placed stakes at the existing right-of-way limits as well as the location of the levee toe. The surveys were performed to complete necessary analyses relative to tree and fence removal activities proposed along the 17th Street Canal levee. Obstruction/Item Inventories specific to each property were prepared and notification letters dated September 14, 2007 were mailed to all property owners (see link to letters and obstruction inventories.) Another letter dated May 8, 2008 providing a status report was mailed to property owners in the northern reach. In most cases, the letters confirmed that there had been no changes in the obstruction inventories. However, in the instance of 32 properties, the letters informed property owners of reduced impacts due to clarification of the existing rights-of-way limits. (see link to updated letters and obstruction inventories).
Southern Reach (5310 – 5800 Bellaire Drive) Surveys to obtain elevation data in the 44 properties in the southern reach were completed in July 2007 and geotechnical analyses of seepage and stability concerns were completed in early 2008. The theoretical design section was delineated as well as the theoretical levee toe plus 6 feet zone that must be cleared of trees and fences. Obstruction/Item Inventories specific to each property were prepared and notification letters dated May 8, 2008 were mailed to all property owners (see link to letters and obstruction inventories.)
Right-of-Entry for Removal of Trees and Fences In April 2008, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested right-of-entry from the Orleans Levee District for removal of trees and fences identified as obstructions along the entire length of the 17th Street Canal (both southern and northern reaches). On May 15, 2008, the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East approved the right-of-entry request and efforts are now underway to remove the obstructions early in the 2008 hurricane season. The Corps will endeavor to maintain open communication with property owners while also moving expeditiously to improve the reliability of the hurricane protection system.
Jefferson Parish (west) side of canal
Surveys to delineate the right-of-way and levee toe were completed in July 2007. The Corps is now working with the local sponsor, the East Jefferson Levee District, to evaluate the extent of tree and fence encroachment.
Tree Removal Program
The primary mission of the Corps’ tree removal program is to reduce the risk to public safety caused by the existence of trees and other woody vegetation on or near levees and floodwalls. The first priority is to remove trees that endanger New Orleans hurricane levee systems. In addition, the team is performing inventories of tree problem areas on other federal levee systems, including the Mississippi River and Atchafalaya Basin levees and the other hurricane protection projects. Finally, the Corps is also working to develop guidance for vegetation and encroachment management on levees and floodwalls.
Work Completed
Working under rights-of-entry granted by the East Jefferson Levee District and Orleans Levee District, we have removed hundreds of trees (including their root systems) along various segments of the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity project. Tree removal has been completed on the Jefferson Lakefront levee, the Jefferson/St. Charles return levee, the New Orleans lakefront levee and the London Avenue and Orleans Avenue outfall canals. Detailed GIS-based inventories of trees and other encroachments have been completed for the West Bank & Vicinity project, New Orleans to Venice project, Larose to Golden Meadow project, and the Mississippi River Levee project. In support of the development of vegetation management guidance, the team has also completed a tree root study.
Future Work
Due to the urgency to remove trees from high risk areas of the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity project, the tree removal program initially focused on this effort. The longer term scope of vegetation management on Federal and non-Federal levees falls under the scope of the Inspection of Completed Works (ICW) program in Operations Division of the Corps of Engineers. Interim Corps guidance requires maintenance of vegetation free corridors extending 15 feet from levees or to the extent of available easements or public rights.
