Southwest Pass Sedimentation and Dredging Data Analysis

Michael A Hartman,Kenneth N Mitchell,Nicholas F Lenssen,Benjamin Emery,Lauren M Dunkin,James Lewis,Ronald Copeland

doi:10.1061/(asce)ww.1943-5460.0000684

Abstract

Abstract The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintains the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico Project as part of its Navigation mission to enable safe, r...

Highlights

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintains the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico Project as part of its Navigation mission to enable safe, reliable, and cost-effective marine transportation throughout the country
The South Louisiana Port, Port of New Orleans, Port of Plaquemines, and Port of Baton Rouge accounted for a total of 507,929,991 t of Domestic and Foreign cargo in 2018 (USACE 2019)
According to recent USACE Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) studies, the Southwest Pass (SWP) 90% shoaling rate is roughly 68,000 m3/day (89,000 CY/day). This rapid-onset shoaling presents challenges for waterway managers with securing and mobilizing the industry dredging fleet in a timely manner, and the resulting delays have led to sailing draft restrictions for commercial vessels transiting SWP

Summary

Introduction

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintains the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico Project as part of its Navigation mission to enable safe, reliable, and cost-effective marine transportation throughout the country. The economic costs of these disruptions to shipping operations are significant, given that an average of over 250 M tons of cargo transit SWP each year To transport these vast amounts of critical bulk commodities, a daily average of 13 oceangoing vessels drafting at least 10.7 m (35 ft) are needed to transit SWP and access global markets. The daily survey frequency in combination with the DQM dredging records available provide the framework for better understanding the dynamic shoaling conditions and the relative role of USACE dredging activity toward restoring full channel navigability. These results can help contribute to improved channel maintenance strategies and operations, potentially reducing the extent and duration of shoal-related draft restrictions through SWP. Responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars compel the USACE to be judicious and deliberate with dredging outlays, and this work represents a novel, data-driven analysis to achieve this objective

Background

Discussion

Findings

Summary and Conclusions

Future Work