Broken gates at L&D 1 not hampering flow of Red River

By RAYMOND L. DAYE

    Red River is angry, but it is not likely to vent the full force of its wrath on Avoyelles Parish.
   The river is flowing fast at Lindy Boggs Lock & Dam No. 1 with logs and other debris shooting through on the way to the deep Atchafalaya, one river-watcher reported. Richard Brontoli, executive director of the Red River Valley Association, confirmed that report.
    “There is a good flow at Lock and Dam 1,” Brontoli said. “There are a few gates there that aren’t working as well as they could, but the structure is not holding any water back.”
    Bobby Coco, facilities manager at Lock & Dam 1, said there is “a tremendous flow of water going through Lock and Dam 1.” He said there are a couple of gates that can’t open, but that is not causing any problem.
   “We had an engineering study done this week and it determined that the effect on the river would have no bearing even if those gates were operational,” he said. “It will certainly not back up any water on anybody.”
    Greg Raimondo, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, acknowledged the gate problems.
    “There are 11 gates,” he said. “Two gates’ cables broke, one in 2014 and another this past spring. There is 8 ft. of water passing over those gates at this time. There were three more gates that we had concerns with, so we raised them to relieve pressure on them.”
   The net effect of the gate issues is a 1.5-2 ft. increase at Lock and Dam 1, he said. The impact upstream at Lock and Dam 2 is an additional 4-6 inches.
    Raimondo said the Corps has been awaiting funding for the repairs, which has been approved for the 2016 budget year.
 
“In our favor”
    Coco said the Red is racing to the Atchafalaya, “and the Atchafalaya is in our favor because it is 16 feet below flood stage. We are in good shape in Avoyelles.”
    At this time, it does not appear that Lock and Dam 1 will be closed due to the rise of the river. Lock & Dam 2, just north of Marksville, is still open but may be closed next week, Brontoli said. The three northern lock-and-dam structures have already been closed.
    The major concern along the river that cuts the state from Shreveport to Simmesport is for the section north of Alexandria, he added.
The river stage at Alexandria was 32.8 Friday, 8/10ths of a foot above flood stage. It was expected to reach 35.8 ft. by June 10.
    The river gauge at Acme, where the Black River enters the Red, was at 40.9 ft. Friday and expected to be at 42.8 ft. by June 10, the Red River Waterway Commission reported.
    Coco said the river level at Lock and Dam 1 is about 7 feet lower than it is at Acme, which is 7 miles from the structure.
    “A foot per mile is a good slope,” he noted.
    The Red River was at 29 ft. at Simmesport and expected to reach 31.5 ft. by June 10 -- still well below the 47-foot flood stage.
    Raimondo said there is no risk of any levees being overtopped along the river.
    Joey Frank, parish Office of Emergency Preparedness director, said sandbags and sand have been made available in Brouillette. There are also preliminary plans to provide sand and bags to Fifth Ward, if needed. In the event other areas experience a threat from backwater flooding, Frank said residents should call the OEP office at 240-9160 and arrangements will be made to get sand and bags to the designated fire station in their area.
    Residents will have to fill their own sand bags.
    Frank said all indications are that Avoyelles will not be threatened to the extent that the northern river parishes are, but the parish has a process in place to enable it to respond as quickly as possible to a situation.