New Orleans sets deadline for bids to combat Mississippi River saltwater threat - NOLA.com

New Orleans sets deadline for bids to fight saltwater threat | Business News | nola.com

Emergency plans to protect New Orleans’ drinking water took further shape Monday as a deadline for bids to build a pipeline for the city’s main plant passed, less than a month before the predicted arrival of salt water advancing up the Mississippi River.

Specifics of the plan remained under wraps, though New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board officials have said the cost could run anywhere from $100 million to $250 million, or even above. The federal government is expected to cover three-quarters of it after the White House declared an emergency last week.

Separate plans are required for the city’s east bank and west bank plants. The east bank plant is too large for barges to supply it with fresh water to dilute the salt at its intake, forcing the city to pursue a pipeline that would extend to the Kenner area. Barges are envisioned for the city’s west bank plant in Algiers.

The short timeframe could mean a gap between when a pipeline is done and the arrival of the salt water. City officials have said they are planning for alternatives if that occurs, such as the distribution of water, but details have not yet been released.

New Orleans hotels were meanwhile making their own preparations, including ordering additional water and installing reverse osmosis machines.

The S&WB said in a statement it had "sent two bid packages to various contractors to submit bids, which are due this afternoon." The packages were sent out on Friday evening, after the state provided the go-ahead.

The leading edge of the saltwater wedge coming up the Mississippi River is near mile marker 69.4, near Jesuit Bend. This map plots Corps of Engineers’ estimates for when the salt will arrive at various water intakes around the New Orleans metro area.

The bid process comes with the clock ticking. Current forecasts show salt reaching the city's main intake around Oct. 28 and the Algiers plant Oct. 22. The city’s emergency preparedness director, Collin Arnold, has said he hopes construction can begin sometime this week.

Jefferson Parish announced a plan on Friday to build flexible pipelines to the same location in the Kenner area for both its east and west bank plants to dilute the salt at their intakes. It did not provide a cost estimate.

The city is planning to deal with the problem for three months, or through January, based on advice from the Army Corps of Engineers. Rain is needed further north in the Mississippi River basin, which has been hit by drought, to flush out the salt water, but no relief is expected in the short term.

New Orleans officials had initially spoken of a regional plan that would include the east banks of Orleans and Jefferson parishes, but Jefferson officials said last week they were opting to build their own. East Jefferson’s plant processes about 40 million gallons per day compared to 135 to 150 million for New Orleans’ Carrollton plant, which services the city’s east bank.

"We are working in tandem with all affected parishes," the S&WB statement said. Referring to Jefferson Parish, the S&WB said it was "looking at ways a parallel system could offer redundancy to each system if needed."

It declined to offer further specifics on its plan for now.

“Not only are we following our own procurement procedures, but have to consider the procurement process of both (the state) and FEMA so that we can ensure any expenses are eligible for emergency reimbursement,” it said.

A preliminary proposal sent to the Governor’s Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has provided clues, though the final plan may change.

It sketched out an 11½-mile pipeline that could be completed in 30 to 90 days, depending on weather and pipe size.

The proposal described two alternatives: a 48-inch high-density polyethylene pipe that would cost $1,750 a linear foot and be available in 30 days, or a 63-inch pipe that would cost $2,000 a linear foot and be available in 90 days. Murphy Pipelines LLC, in conjunction with CMG Pipelines Inc., would do the work.

For the west bank, the S&WB requested four barges with total capacity of 6 million gallons to serve as a temporary reservoir. Further shipping capacity was requested from the Army Corps of Engineers to be able to deliver at least 14 million gallons per day to the receiving location.

The pipeline would extend past an area known as the “Kenner hump,” a geological feature at the river bottom that could stall the salt water’s advance. Jefferson Parish’s flexible lines will be built in five-mile segments, and may not have to be built out in full if the salt does not flow that far up the river.

The various plans for the region come on top of other efforts by the Corps. In July, it built a sill, or underwater levee, near Myrtle Grove to block the salt intrusion, but it was overtopped on Sept. 20. It is now in the process of elevating the sill, but a notch in the middle will be included to continue to allow shipping. As a result, it will only slow the salt water’s advance.

Separately, the Corps announced late Sunday that the first barges of fresh water had arrived in lower Plaquemines Parish, which has been dealing with the problem for months. The first bargeload, carrying about 500,000 gallons of water, arrived at the Port Sulphur water treatment facility at around 7 p.m. Sunday.

Plaquemines has also been distributing bottled water, blending water delivered from its Belle Chasse plant further upriver and procuring reverse-osmosis machines as filters.

With clock ticking, New Orleans moves forward on plans to combat saltwater threat

Emergency plans to protect New Orleans’ drinking water took further shape Monday as a deadline for bids to build a pipeline for the city’s main plant passed, less than a month before the predicted arrival of salt water advancing up the Mississippi River.

Specifics of the plan remained under wraps, though New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board officials have said the cost could run anywhere from $100 million to $250 million, or even above. The federal government is expected to cover three-quarters of it after the White House declared an emergency last week.

Separate plans are required for the city’s east bank and west bank plants. The east bank plant is too large for barges to supply it with fresh water to dilute the salt at its intake, forcing the city to pursue a pipeline that would extend to the Kenner area. Barges are envisioned for the city’s west bank plant in Algiers.

The short timeframe could mean a gap between when a pipeline is done and the arrival of the salt water. City officials have said they are planning for alternatives if that occurs, such as the distribution of water, but details have not yet been released.

New Orleans hotels were meanwhile making their own preparations, including ordering additional water and installing reverse osmosis machines.

The S&WB said in a statement it had "sent two bid packages to various contractors to submit bids, which are due this afternoon." The packages were sent out on Friday evening, after the state provided the go-ahead.

The bid process comes with the clock ticking. Current forecasts show salt reaching the city's main intake around Oct. 28 and the Algiers plant Oct. 22. The city’s emergency preparedness director, Collin Arnold, has said he hopes construction can begin sometime this week.

Jefferson Parish announced a plan on Friday to build flexible pipelines to the same location in the Kenner area for both its east and west bank plants to dilute the salt at their intakes. It did not provide a cost estimate.

The city is planning to deal with the problem for three months, or through January, based on advice from the Army Corps of Engineers. Rain is needed further north in the Mississippi River basin, which has been hit by drought, to flush out the salt water, but no relief is expected in the short term.

New Orleans officials had initially spoken of a regional plan that would include the east banks of Orleans and Jefferson parishes, but Jefferson officials said last week they were opting to build their own. East Jefferson’s plant processes about 40 million gallons per day compared to 135 to 150 million for New Orleans’ Carrollton plant, which services the city’s east bank.

"We are working in tandem with all affected parishes," the S&WB statement said. Referring to Jefferson Parish, the S&WB said it was "looking at ways a parallel system could offer redundancy to each system if needed."

It declined to offer further specifics on its plan for now.

“Not only are we following our own procurement procedures, but have to consider the procurement process of both (the state) and FEMA so that we can ensure any expenses are eligible for emergency reimbursement,” it said.

A preliminary proposal sent to the Governor’s Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness has provided clues, though the final plan may change.

It sketched out an 11½-mile pipeline that could be completed in 30 to 90 days, depending on weather and pipe size.

The proposal described two alternatives: a 48-inch high-density polyethylene pipe that would cost $1,750 a linear foot and be available in 30 days, or a 63-inch pipe that would cost $2,000 a linear foot and be available in 90 days. Murphy Pipelines LLC, in conjunction with CMG Pipelines Inc., would do the work.

For the west bank, the S&WB requested four barges with total capacity of 6 million gallons to serve as a temporary reservoir. Further shipping capacity was requested from the Army Corps of Engineers to be able to deliver at least 14 million gallons per day to the receiving location.

The pipeline would extend past an area known as the “Kenner hump,” a geological feature at the river bottom that could stall the salt water’s advance. Jefferson Parish’s flexible lines will be built in five-mile segments, and may not have to be built out in full if the salt does not flow that far up the river.

The various plans for the region come on top of other efforts by the Corps. In July, it built a sill, or underwater levee, near Myrtle Grove to block the salt intrusion, but it was overtopped on Sept. 20. It is now in the process of elevating the sill, but a notch in the middle will be included to continue to allow shipping. As a result, it will only slow the salt water’s advance.

Separately, the Corps announced late Sunday that the first barges of fresh water had arrived in lower Plaquemines Parish, which has been dealing with the problem for months. The first bargeload, carrying about 500,000 gallons of water, arrived at the Port Sulphur water treatment facility at around 7 p.m. Sunday.

Plaquemines has also been distributing bottled water, blending water delivered from its Belle Chasse plant further upriver and procuring reverseosmosis machines as filters.