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NEWS IN THE CURRENT
December 2007 Newsletter
THE YEAR IN REVIEW----2007
Jan Board of Directors met at Georgia-Pacific Conference Room in Crossett, with meeting
focused on Navigation Committee issues and ORVA organization;
Mar Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works over the objections of ORVA, and Congressmen Alexander and Ross approved the transfer of some $4 million from the Ouachtia-Black O&M Account that was slated for construction of the Felsenthal Lock stoplog slots delaying this project yet another year;
Congressional office calls made during week of March 18;
Apr Dredging Commenced at Camden by Dredge Butcher;
May Annual Meeting of the Association was held at the West Monroe Convention Center where
the Navigation Committee reviewed the work of the KCS Bridge design firm, members of the Ouachita-Red Marne Security held a regular meeting, and the membership
agreed to expand the Board of Directors from 10 to 14;
Jun Colonel Mike Wehr relieved Colonel Tony Vesay as Commander of Vicksburg District and LTG Robert L. Van Antwerp relieved LTG Carl Strock as Chief of Engineers;
Jul Board of Directors Meeting in Crossett, Executive Director Revis announced resignation effective January 1, 2008;
Dredging completed to Jonesville awaiting fall of Red River flows;
Aug Testimony to Mississippi River Commission at Greenville;
Plans finalized for River Sweep 2008;
Sep Public Awareness trip from Camden to Jonesville with stops at Crossett and West Monroe with more than 700 participants;
Bendway Enhancement Committee Meeting at Crossett;
Oct Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Waterborne Transportation;
Board of Directors Meeting in Monroe;
Joint meeting with Red and Ouachita Navigation Committees to recommend Old River and Port Allen Lock closure dates in 2008;
Corps operating under a Continuing Resolution for FY08 funding;
Nov Bendway Enhancement Committee Meeting in Crossett;
Water Resources Development Act-2007 became law over President’s veto providing authorization for bank stabilization and confirming levees to be a part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project at Monroe and downstream;
National Waterways Conference, Inc. meeting in Mobile, Alabama;
Construction of Columbia Highway Bridge completed and repairs completed at KCS Railroad Bridge;
Dec Dedication Ceremony for renovation of Moon Lake Recreation Area;
Glen Ham, former President of ORVA provided ORVA files from the 1970’s and 1980’s.
November, 2007 Newsletter
Public Awareness Trip (October 10, 2007)
Ouachita-Black Public Awareness Trip conducted September 17-28 on board the Vicksburg District Inspection Barge provided opportunity for more than 700 valley residents to see the waterway and to be briefed by members of the Vicksburg District and ORVA representativews. In addition to the general public briefings, Camden and Crossett also hosted students and the West Monroe Chamber of Commerce provided briefings for State and Local business and political leaders.
To download slideshows of the trip, click on the links below.
West Monroe
Jonesville
Photos from the News Star in Monroe are available on www.thenewsstar.com (Access by clicking on News Star Galleries shown on left side of page--District Commander)
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Newsletter
August 7, 2007
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OLD RIVER LOCK CLOSURES (October 10, 2008)
Note: Schedule Change
Old River and Port Allen Locks are both to be closed for Maintenance in 2008---Dates not yet established.
LINK TO NEW ORLEANS NAVIGATION NOTICES:
http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/navBulletins/ _
Old River Lock: Call (225) 492-2301 for updates.
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OUACHITA RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING
MAY 14-15, 2007
NEWS RELEASE:
Ouachita River Valley Association (ORVA)
REPORT OF ANNUAL MEETING---May 14-15, 2007
The 2007 Convention and Annual Meeting of the Ouachita River Valley Association in West Monroe, Louisiana “was one of our best ” according to John Stringer, VP for the organization who oversaw the arrangements. It was a packed two day event with activities that included discussions of navigation issues at the tow pilot level to Corps budget policies. Lock, channel and bridge maintenance issues, budget formulation, economic development, and fisheries improvement were all topics of discussion. The over-arching theme was the ‘coming together’ of many interests to improve the quality of life in the valley at the federal, state, and local levels. Congressman Alexander was called back to Washington for voting but was represented by Adam Terry who works in his Washington office.
Economic opportunity provided by the nation’s waterways was highlighted by Don Pierson, Assistant Director of the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, Jay Moon, CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and Bryan Brendle of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). NAM has come to the forefront in leading the efforts to improve the public infrastructure (particularly water resources) as a means of keeping industries on the tributary streams competitive in the world markets. Brendle emphasized the importance of river movements of coal to energy and locally the shipment of fuels on the Ouachita-Black system as well as grain movements to our export capabilities. Both Don Pierson and Jay Moon in their presentations pointed to the need to develop infrastructure that will support industries in a highly competitive global economy. Jay Moon focused many of his remarks on the need for intermodal facilities and regional cooperation and described these efforts as ‘a marathon and not a sprint’ as he outlined the several programs that Mississippi has adopted over a period of years. He also reminded participants that change comes in incremental steps but that it is sometimes catapulted forward by a crisis such as Hurricane Katrina. These past efforts in Mississippi and their investments are now showing remarkable results in new manufacturing plants including a Nissan Plant, Severcore Steel Plant, Toyota Plant, Peterbilt Truck Engine Manufacturing Facility, Eurocopter Helicopter Manufacturing, and a Rolls Royce Jet Engine Facility.
Gary Loew, Director of Programs Integration Division and Jim Walker, Chief of Navigation at Corps Headquarters and Jim Hannon in the Mississippi Valley Division presented their perspectives on waterway funding and the difficulties of communicating waterway needs to the Administration as well as Congress. The need to sustain our national infrastructure was addressed in some unique ways. Gary Loew referenced the Stephen Flynn book entitled “The Edge of Disaster” that suggests our national infrastructure is brittle and has limited resiliency to respond to the natural disasters that we are surely to receive. And that these threats are greater than threats from beyond our borders. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are such examples. Loew also discussed the need to develop a more predictable budget system that pushes project funding decisions down to the Division and District levels leaving policy and capital improvement decisions at the Washington level. Loew illustrated the flat line appropriations since 1997 showing a loss of some $13.5 Billion to inflation alone. He indicated some of the budget criticisms to be a lack of vision, complex, complicated and changing reasons for budget decisions. But there is some progress with Administration on budget principles such as more use of non-economic decision factors such as safety, legal, environment, and watershed to justify decisions.
Jim Walker, Chief of Navigation in the Corps Headquarters, discussed the necessity of relating navigation funding to the President’s Management Agenda and performing condition risk and reliability assessments. These assessments must be developed for the FY-09 budget that is under development now. While there are some elaborate systems for making these assessments, he has adopted a “Keep It Simple” approach. A Corps wide assessment would prioritize maintenance needs and measures risk with stoppage or delay of navigation due to lock component failure and additionally impacts of inadequate channel dimensions. The system is currently being deployed with complete deployment in 2009 using the first year of data collection as a baseline.
John Hoopaugh, Chairman of the Navigation Committee, presented a slide presentation of towing conditions along the river. These slides demonstrated the need to increase bend radii to project design standards. With construction of cutoffs and ox-bow lakes for fish nurseries fisheries would also be improved. In a panel the following day, Mike Wood and Jason Olive represented the fish habitat interests in a panel with Homer Humphreys, a professional guide on the Red River. Mike Wood, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, made the point that ox-bow lake formation is a natural process on streams in the delta and that they are productive nurseries providing cover for younger fish. Humphreys was complimentary of tow pilots on the Red River and emphasized the importance of angler access. Ed Grimm, VP for Martin Gas, discussed the economic losses resulting from inadequate channel dimensions and lost economic development opportunities tied to these conditions.
Roger Wiebusch, Bridge Administrator for the U.S. Coast Guard led the discussion on proposed renovations to the KCS Railroad Bridge at Monroe. The Ouachita-Red Rivers Maritime Security Committee also met to discuss security issues in the region.
Paul Revis, ORVA Executive Director, “The problem remains with how to allocate funds across the Corps business lines and unify project needs. We are reminded of the 2004 proposal to eliminate all funding on the Ouachita except for recreation. The lesson learned there was that a waterway is more than the sum of disparate parts but a system of integrated uses with multiple purposes relying on each other. The same water serves many uses. We are grateful for the Corps heroic efforts to prioritize inadequate funds. But the simple truth is that more funding is needed to prevent major failures! We are now engaged in a process of shifting failure locations rather than preventing them. It is encouraging that these and other needs are being voiced by people like Mr. Flynn”.
Speaker PowerPoint Slides and photographs available at the ORVA website: www.orva.org.
CONTACT PAUL REVIS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
PowerPoint presentations
2007ORVA-Jim Walker
ORVA0507-Jim Hannon
Ouachita RiverValleyAssn-051407-Gary Loew
ORVA PRES Wood 2007b-Mike Wood
OuachitaRiverValleyAssociation-Jay Moon
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BRIDGE REVIEW (Mile167.1)
Attached is USCG Public Notice of bridge repairs to KCS Railroad Bridge at Mile 167.1 on Ouachita River at Monroe/W.Monroe, Louisiana with drawings.
Based on discussions on 14 May during the Navigation Committee meeting, this notice is only for approval for planned alterations to bridge. Procedures for performing the work will be approved after the railroad submits its construction plans. These construction procedures and outages are to be discussed by the navigation industry, railroad, and USCG before that approval is granted. Will notify you when these meetings are scheduled.
Please forward any comments you may have directly to the Bridge Branch at St. Louis by 11 June .
Revised sheet 2 of 4 date 2007-05-03
KCSouthern M167 1 OBL PN
LNM 19-07_167 1 OBL - Sheets 3-4
LNM 19-07_167 1 OBL - Sheets 4-4
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1-25-07
ORVA Newsletter.
Click here
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NAVIGATION COMMITTEE MEETING AND BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2007 AT GEORGIA PACIFIC MILL (CROSSETT, AR) TRAINING CENTER
10:30 a.m. Navigation Committee Meeting, John Hoopaugh, Chairman
12:00noon Lunch
1:00 p.m. Board Meeting, President Chris Claybaker
Please contact Paul Revis (501.329.4771) or (dmg@conwaycorp.net) if you plan to attend.
Note: All ORVA members are welcome to attend meetings.
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CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND ORVA PUBLIC AWARENESS MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER
Public awareness meetings highlighting the Ouachita-Black Navigation System are scheduled at Jonesville, West Monroe, Crossett, and Camden during the last two weeks of September. The purposes of the meetings are to provide an opportunity to experience the river from a floating platform, and meet with representatives of the Corps of Engineers and ORVA to discuss work being done on the waterway. “This is one of the few opportunities users and beneficiaries have to see the river together,” according to Camden Mayor Chris Claybaker, President of ORVA. The trips planned last year were cancelled due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The meetings will be held on-board the Vicksburg District Inspection Barge and are co-sponsored by the local communities who are making reservations for the different events. Please contact representatives at the respective locations for reservations.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Jonesville, Louisiana, Jonesville Lock and Dam
Contacts for Reservations:
John Bryant 318.339.7378
Eddie Davis 318.481.3995
Thursday, September 21, 2006 5:30-7:30 p.m.
West Monroe, Louisiana, Lazarre Point
Contacts for Reservations: West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce
318.325.1961
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Crossett, Arkansas, Crossett Harbor
Contacts for Reservations: Mayor Scott McCormick 870.364.4825
Mike Smith 870.364.8745
Crossett Chamber of Commerce 870.364.6591
Thursday, September 28, 2006, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Camden, Arkansas, Sandy Beach
Contact for Reservations: Beth Osteen 870.836.6426
Chris Claybaker 870.837.5500
Those planning to attend should make their reservations early since there is a limited amount of space on the barge.
For information about this release, contact Paul Revis at 501.329.4771 or e-mail at dmg@conwaycorp.net
August 25, 2006
OUACHITA RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION STATEMENT
To
MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION
GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
August 23, 2006
PAUL N. REVIS, P.E.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GENERAL CREAR AND COMMISSION MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO AGAIN MAKE A STATEMENT. MY NAME IS PAUL REVIS AND I SERVE AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OUACHITA RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION.
THE OUACHITA RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION (ORVA) IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IN EXISTENCE SINCE 1893. IT HAS BEEN ENGAGED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS IN PROJECTS TO ENHANCE THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE OF THE BASIN. WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMISSION TO DEVELOP THE OUACHITA REGION UPSTREAM TO THE VICINITY OF MONROE INCLUDING PORTIONS OF THE TENSAS BASIN.
WE ARE PLEASED TO HAVE SEVERAL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE REGION HERE TODAY. THEY INCLUDE MR. JOHN STRINGER WITH THE TENSAS BASIN LEVEE DISTRICT, MR. JOHNNY MARTIN WITH TERRAL RIVERSERVICE, MR. JOHN HOOPAUGH WITH PINE BLUFF SAND AND GRAVEL COMPANY, MR. CLARK LANGLEY WITH CROSS OIL REFINING AND MARKETING AT SMACKOVER, ARKANSAS, MS. MARY ANN NEWTON, PRESIDENT OF THE WEST MONROE-WEST OUACHITA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, MS. PAULA WALKER, MONROE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION. WE ARE PARTICULARY PLEASED THAT MS. NEWTON AND MS. WALKER ARE HERE BECAUSE THEY REPRESENT THE VARIED INTERESTS OF A COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INTERESTS BEYOND WHAT IS TRADITIONALLY THOUGHT OF AS RIVER INTERESTS. THIS IS BUT A SMALL CROSS SECTION OF BENEFICIARIES OF THE PROJECT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE 510 MILE LONG OUACHITA RIVER IN ARKANSAS AND LOUISIANA.
THE OUACHITA-BLACK NAVIGATION PROJECT ITSELF PROVIDES A 9’ DRAFT, 337 MILE NAVIGATION CHANNEL WITH FOUR 84’X600’ LOCKS WITH YEAR AROUND NAVIGATION. THE LOCKS WERE COMPLETED IN THE 1970’s and 1980’s WITH TWO LOCATED IN ARKANSAS AND TWO IN LOUISIANA.
ALTHOUGH FUNDED AS A NAVIGATION PROJECT, THE OUACHITA-BLACK PROJECT PROVIDES MULTIPLE-PURPOSE BENEFITS INCLUDING WATER SUPPLY, RECREATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, GAME AND FISH HABITAT ENHANCEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, AND RESOURCE CONSERVATION IN ADDITION TO TRADITIONAL BARGE TRANSPORTATION BENEFITS.
SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF THESE BENEFITS INCLUDE:
WATER SUPPLY:
Municipal: Cities of Monroe, La and Camden, AR Industrial: 9 Major Paper and Chemical Industries
Agricultural: Multiple agricultural withdrawal locations in Louisiana and Arkansas
RECREATION:
23 Corps of Engineers Recreation Sites
Recreational boating
Supports more than 500,000 hunters and fishermen annually
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Port Development in the Monroe-West Monroe area
Agricultural and industrial terminals are located along the length of the system.
Dependence of local industries on the waterway
FISH AND WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT:
Federal Wildlife Refuges at Felsenthal and Upper Ouachita with more than 105,000 acres
Louisiana and Arkansas Wildlife Areas
An annual migratory bird count of ______ducks
RESTORATION OF THE SPARTA AQUIFER
Natural recharge source for the aquifer
Reduced withdrawals by treatment and use of Ouachita River water for municipal and industrial
TRANSPORTATION
Major commodities moved today are gasoline, fuel oils, chemicals, agricultural commodities, and aggregates Historically, waterborne transportation has been limited to movement of commodities such as bulk chemicals, agricultural products, fuels and aggregates but that is changing. As with other waterways, the port under development at West Monroe will provide infrastructure for movement of international containers.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Airborne emission reduction of more than 6500 tons annually by use of barge transportation rather than trucks
COMMERCIALPOWER GENERATION
Supports the generation of power from the 2205 MW natural-gas fired merchant power plant near El Dorado, Arkansas.
I hasten to point out that all the benefits of the project depend upon operation of the four locks and dams. They may be considered small in comparison with other waterways but they are critical to our region. Deferred maintenance for almost 30 years has placed these structures in operational jeopardy. The good news is that this trend is reversing thanks to the efforts of our Congressional representatives including Congressman Alexander of Louisiana, Congressman Ross of Arkansas, and Senators Landrieu, Vitter, Lincoln and Pryor. Columbia Lock was modified this year with stoplog slots following similar work at Jonesville two years ago and backlog maintenance is being reduced. The first edition of modern Navigation Charts were completed this year some 30 years after the previous edition. Also the channel was fully dredged for the first time in several years. However, failure of the Administration to adequately fund the project for Operation and Maintenance is a continuing disappointment.
Utilization and dependence on the Ouachita River is woven into the daily activities of the residents of the region economically, socially, and culturally. While this is good on the one hand, it is often taken for granted and even thought to be naturally occurring.
I want to point out one example where that was not the case. The Sparta Aquifer that underlies much of eastern Arkansas and Louisiana faced looming irreparable damage from municipal and industrial water withdrawals and was declared a critical groundwater area in 1996 by the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission and supported by the U.S. Geological Survey. Their recommendation was to reduce the withdrawals 72% to preserve the aquifer’s recharge capability and to prevent saltwater intrusions. As Union County’s (ElDorado, Arkansas) sole source of industrial, commercial and municipal water, inaction meant severe economic hardships. The Union County Water Conservation Board was formed and after considering several options selected the Ouachita River as an alternative source. With revenues from 4 major industrial users and a one-cent sales tax, a 65-million-gallon-per-day intake structure, pump station, clarification facility, storage tank and 20 miles of connecting pipelines were completed in the fall of 2004. The last industrial customer was connected last year. Well monitoring done by USGS since completion of the project has shown that the water levels have stabilized and are even rising again. Without the pool formed by the locks and dams on the Ouachita-Black Project, this alternative would not have been possible.
Flood Protection and Bank Stabilization. These are fundamental elements of infrastructure like the locks and dams that provide the foundation upon which all beneficiaries depend. Without this infrastructure, private investors, entrepreneurs and local communities cannot wisely invest in the region and thus contribute to the national output. It is particularly disturbing when we observe waters of the navigation channel eroding the levees that provide protection for major urban areas in the region. Although hurricanes Katrina and Rita did historic damage to Gulf Coast last year, providence was kind to the Ouachita basin because one storm predicted to strike it directly never developed. Had it developed as originally predicted, the Monroe and Columbia areas would have suffered significant urban flooding. The danger remains since corrective work has not been completed.
Looking Over the Horizon to See Where We Are Headed. A third concern we raise for your consideration is the lack of a comprehensive basin or watershed plan to guide future investments in the Ouachita basin. The breadth of impacts associated with water resource development requires extensive evaluation and thus long lead times as you know. The issues to be addressed in 25 years can hardly be anticipated and projected without a detailed investigative effort and citizen involvement. These are not unusual studies in other river basins and we believe they should be completed here. There is no record of such a study ever being conducted for the Ouachita watershed!
Re-evaluating the Role of Tributary Streams.
The lack of attention to the deteriorating state of our national waterway infrastructure and more specifically the “tributary systems” is being viewed with alarm by the National Association of Manufactures because of the impact on the production capacity of the nation and our international competitiveness. In a letter to Senators Domenici and Reid of the Appropriations Committee dated June 27, 2006, the Manufacturer’s Association requested some $100 million in O&M above the FY2006 levels be allocated to inland waterways in FY 2007, with a focus on “low use” waterways. The letter goes on to point out that the “low-use” waterways ‘have been targeted for budget savings over the past several years’. A copy of this letter is attached to my statement. Studies have shown that more than two-thirds of the cargo on the main-stem originates on the tributaries such as Ouachita. Tonnage volume is but one measure of the value of a waterway as I have attempted to point out today and should be abandoned as a sole funding discriminator.
Concluding Remarks.
At this time last year we expressed the need for at least a five-year plan to address the critical O&M issues. This plan was not to meet our requirements but intended to serve as a framework for discussing waterway needs with our elected representatives, the administration, and the numerous beneficiaries of the project. We were pleased to be briefed a few weeks ago by Mr. Hannon of the Mississippi Valley Division regarding the development of a five year O&M plan that is underway. The Vicksburg District has a clear vision and set of short-term priorities for maintenance of the waterway but is handicapped by inadequate funding. Accomplishment of these goals will continue to be frustrated until we can adequately articulate the value of the waterways to the nation.
It is believed that the underlying problem is not how to manage the scarce and inadequate resources but how to increase the resources allocated to the waterways. Senator Talent (Missouri) made a similar observation during the recent debate of the WRDA bill. Greater awareness of the importance of waterway infrastructure by the public and our leaders is necessary to move up on the national order of priorities.
FINALLY:
WE EXTEND OUR PREVIOUS INVITATION TO BRING THE MOTOR VESSEL MISSISSIPPI TO THE OUACHITA RIVER FOR YOU TO SEE IT FIRST HAND AND TO HOLD HEARINGS FOR THE PEOPLE OF THAT REGION.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND WE WILL BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
“ONE DOLLAR INVESTED IN PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE IS EQUIVALENT TO FOURTEEN DOLLARS IN RETURNS TO THE NATION”
Paul N. Revis, P.E.
Executive Director, ORVA
1359 Scott Street
Conway, AR 72034
501.329.4771
dmg@conwaycorp.net
August 20, 2006
LTG STROCK, CHIEF OF ENGINEERS ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT
Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock has announced his retirement after 35 years of service to the nation. His retirement will become effective upon the selection and Senate confirmation of his successor.
General Strock has faced the most challenging circumstances in the nation during his tenure as Chief of Engineers with honesty, forth rightfulness, and courage. These challenges have included Corps support for the “Global War on Terror”, the recovery efforts still underway following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, inadequate budgets, and additional oversight by Congress.
He has been a true friend to the waterways of the nation and those who work to make them function. We will miss his quick recognition of our issues and willingness to address them in a professional manner.
MEMBERS OF ORVA WISH HIM AND HIS FAMILY THE BEST AS HE EMBARKS ON A NEW PHASE IN HIS LIFE! A TRUE ENGINEER WHO LIVED THE CORPS MOTTO, “ESSAYONS”. (Let us Try!) | 
