13760 Nov06civil 11/3/06 5:12 PM Page 1 IANA SEC THE LOUISIANA IS T U IO O N L CIVIL ENGINEER ACADIANA BRANCH • BATON ROUGE BRANCH NEW ORLEANS BRANCH • SHREVEPORT BRANCH 1914 Journal of The Louisiana Section Volume 15 • Number 1 November 2006 Louisiana Engineering Center | 9643 Brookline Avenue | Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809-1433 | 225.926.1662 FEATURE: Failures in the New Orleans levee system during Hurricane Katrina Introduction NEWS: Welcome Flood protection authorities Home Changing directions Section website Information Opportunity: Journal Congressional Fly-In News Fellowships Calendar Employment FUTURE: Listing / Ads Annual Spring Meeting and Hurricane Relief Conference in Shreveport Awards March 22-23, 2007 Organization Deep South Conference Governance Operations in Ruston Sections March 23-24, 2007 Branches Student Chapters Links Site Map ® Timothy M. Ruppert, PE ENGINEERS WEEK 2007 Section President 2006-2007 February 18-24 Seeking new professional horizons . teaching, learning, networking: serving together in the ASCE. 13760 Nov06civil 11/3/06 5:12 PM Page 2 SERVICES AND SUPPLIERS 13201 Old Gentilly Road New Orleans, Louisiana 70129 Precast Bridges Concrete Pipe — Manholes — Box Culverts Catch Basins — Drainage Structures OFFICE: 877-754-7379 FACSIMILE: 504-254-3164 Justin Sanders, Principal 4610 Bluebonnet Blvd., Suite A Phone 225/925-2995 Baton Rouge, LA 70809 Fax 225/368-2145 PROFESSIONAL LISTINGS Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. 7120 Perkins Road, Suite 200 Baton Rouge, LA 70808 CDM Tel: 225-757-7200 [email protected] listen, think, deliver. Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. 2021 Lakeshore Drive, Suite 110 3330 Marshall Street, Suite 920 New Orleans, LA 70122 Shreveport, LA 71101 Tel: 504-832-7272 Tel: 318-227-1064 [email protected] [email protected] The listing of your business card or larger presentation here with our other supporters to help subsidize The Louisiana Civil Engineer, the journal of the Louisiana Section, would be greatly appreciated. For information about listing rates and requirements, please direct inquiries to E. R. (Ray) DesOrmeaux, PE, Telephone: (337) 237-0404 or e-mail: [email protected] 1111 Hawn Avenue Shreveport, LA 71107 11814 Market Place, Suite B Baton Rouge, LA 70816 (225) 293-2188 (225) 293-2173 (Fax) 2 THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEER / NOVEMBER 2006 13760 Nov06civil 11/3/06 5:12 PM Page 3 THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEER PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE: Timothy M. Ruppert, PE, Chair (504) 862-2106 CONTENTS Branch Presidents, Members President’s Message . .4 James C. Porter, PE, Editor (225) 242-4556 Failures in New Orleans levee system Yvette Weatherton, PE, Student Chapter News (225) 771-5870 during Hurricane Katrina . .5 PUBLISHER: News from the Branches . .8 Franklin Press, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA Student Chapter News . .14 The Louisiana Civil Engineer quarterly journal is an official publication of Section News and Information . .15 the Louisiana Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers with an Fellowships . .16 average circulation of approximately 1900. The Section does not guarantee Opportunity: Congressional Fly-In . .18 the accuracy of the information provided, does not necessarily concur with Changing directions . .19 opinions expressed, and does not claim the copyrights for the contents in this Section website . .20 publication. Please submit letters and articles for consideration to be pub- lished by facsimile to (225) 242-4552, by e-mail to jimporter@dotd. Nominating committee position filled . .21 louisiana.gov, or by mail to the Publications Committee c/o James C. Porter, Professional Listings . .2, 30-31 PE • 2608 Terrace Avenue • Baton Rouge, LA 70806-6868. Services and Suppliers . .2, 32 LOUISIANA SECTION • AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS Louisiana Engineering Center • 9643 Brookline Avenue • Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809 • (225) 923-1662 SECTION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Baton Rouge Branch Younger Member President President Sairam V. Eddanapudi, EI Timothy M. Ruppert, PE Brant B. Richard, PE Professional Services Industries, Inc. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Stanley Consultants, Inc. Past President President-Elect President-Elect Ashley T. Sears, EI E.R. DesOrmeaux, PE Robert W. Jacobsen, PE Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClelland E.R. DesOrmeaux, Inc. URS Corporation Vice President Vice President BRANCH TECHNICAL COMMITTEE CHAIRS Ali M. Mustapha, PE William H. Wall, PE Baton Rouge City of Shreveport NTB Associates, Inc. Structures Secretary-Treasurer Secretary-Treasurer Danny J. Deville, PE Christopher P. Knotts, PE Jeffrey L. Duplantis, PE McKee & Deville Consulting Engineers, Inc. Louisiana DNR SJB Group Geotechnical Past President Director Gavin P. Gautreau, PE Kim M. Garlington, PE Clinton S. Willson, PE Louisiana Transportation Research Center Louisiana DOTD Louisiana State University Environmental Directors-at-Large Director Stephen D. Fields, PE Andre M. Rodrigue, PE Adam M. Smith, EI Water Resources ABMB Engineers, Inc. Owen and White Morris Sade, PE Kurt M. Nixon, PE Associate Director Miraj Envirotek Coyel Engineering Company, Inc. Rudolph A. Simoneaux, III, EI Management Christopher G. Humphreys, PE Louisiana DNR Michael N. Dooley, PE Professional Services Industries, Inc. New Orleans Branch Sigma Consulting Group, Inc. Dax A. Douet, PE President Pipeline C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. Christopher L. Sanchez, PE Roy A. Wagenspack, PE Branch Directors Stuart Consulting Group Owen and White, Inc. M. Jamal Khattak, PE President-Elect Transportation University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ronald L. Schumann, Jr., PE P. Brian Wolshon, PE Brant B. Richard, PE DMJM HARRIS|AECOM LSU Baton Rouge Stanley Consultants, Inc. Vice President New Orleans Christopher L. Sanchez, PE Nathan J. Junius, PE Structures Stuart Consulting Group Linfield, Hunter and Junius, Inc. John J. Housey, Jr., PE Elba U. Hamilton, EI Treasurer Orleans Materials and Equipment Company, Inc. Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClelland Benjamin M. (Ben) Cody, PE Geotechnical Assigned Branch Directors Eustis Engineering Company, Inc. William W. Gwyn, PE Daniel L. Bolinger, PE Secretary Eustis Engineering Company, Inc. DMJM + Harris, Inc. Johann L. Palacios, PE Environmental and Water Resources Andre M. Rodrigue, PE Zehner and Associates Dennis Reed ABMB Engineers, Inc. Director New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board Margaret S. (Meg) Adams, PE BRANCH OFFICERS MSA Technical Services Acadiana Branch Director STUDENT CHAPTERS IN THE SECTION President Reid L. Dennis, PE Presidents/Faculty Advisors M. Jamal Khattak, PE Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans LSU Jason Duhon University of Louisiana at Lafayette Past President P. Brian Wolshon, PE President-Elect William H. Sewell, Jr., PE La. Tech Nathan Linhardt Joseph P. Kolwe, Jr., PE Sewell Engineering Luke Lee Civil and Structural Engineers, Inc. Shreveport Branch McNeese Nick Pestello Vice President President Janardanan (Jay) O. Uppot, PE Clint S. McDowell, PE Elba U. Hamilton, EI Southern Kevin Cowan SITE Engineering, Inc. Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClelland Yvette P. Weatherton, PE Treasurer President-Elect Tulane Joe Simpson Joshua P. Stutes, PE Rusty L. Cooper, EI John H. (Jack) Grubbs, PE Sellers and Associates, Inc. Alliance, Inc. ULL Justin Peltier Secretary Secretary Emad H.. Habib David J. Girouard, EI J. Cody Goodwin, EI UNO Eric Dallimore C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. Alliance, Inc. Gianna M. Cothern, PE Past President Treasurer Dax A. Douet, PE Jarred C. Corbell, EI C.H. Fenstermaker & Associates, Inc. Aillet, Fenner, Jolly and McClelland Section Delegates to District 14 Council The Louisiana Section is located in ASCE Zone II, District 14. Miles B. Bingham, PE Timothy M. Ruppert, PE Ralph W. Junius, PE URS Greiner U.S. Army Corps Linfield, Hunter & Junius, Inc. Zone II consists of Districts 6, 7, 9, 10 and 14. District 14 consists Woodward Clyde of Engineers of the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia Sections. THE LOUISIANA CIVIL ENGINEER / NOVEMBER 2006 3 13760 Nov06civil 11/3/06 5:12 PM Page 4 President’s Message By Timothy Ruppert, PE It is with honor and pleasure that I serve as lic safety and investment at risk, civil engi- Louisiana Section President this year. Our neers need to engage local building inspec- Section, established in 1914, has a long history tion and code officials to encourage thor- of protecting the public, promoting the profes- ough and appropriate reviews of new con- sion and supporting civil engineers working to struction. build our great state. • Civil Engineers must speak to the public Without a doubt, 2005 will be remembered about risk, safety and what we as a profes- as a year of trial and disaster. Hurricanes sion are doing to safeguard the public. Katrina and Rita left permanent scars on our Sound engineering can practically remove people, our communities and our memories. The some risks and limit others, but there will damage directly inflicted to the coastal area always be some amount of risk remaining. reverberates throughout the state; everyone in We must speak out about that residual risk Louisiana feels the burden of this disaster. so that the public fully understands the risk But as harsh as Mother Nature has been and they assume and for which they must pre- will be, the people of Louisiana are made of pare. stronger stuff. We have endured nature’s harsh • Our first ethical canon instructs us to hold attention is on the engineering profession. temper for many generations, and we will surely public safety above all other concerns. In I am happy to report that we have already do so for many more. the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and made progress on these issues. For instance, we Readers of this journal know that civil engi- Rita, we must redouble our pledge to uphold are already part of the revised Levee Board neers have a vital role to play in the future of this this ethic. Civil engineers must speak up organization. The ASCE is specifically named state. Engineers will undoubtedly be the ones and speak out on this issue, both in closed as one of the organizations with a seat on the who rebuild the infrastructure, repair the build- project meetings and in public forums.