85% of Army Corps flood protection projects in LA behind schedule

[babylonsister]

Louisiana flood projects fall behind schedule


By Peter Eisler, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Dozens of construction projects launched by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect the New Orleans region from the most catastrophic floods are behind schedule by an average of nearly eight months, an internal audit shows. Local officials are concerned the completion date will have to be pushed back a second time.

The audit reviewed 60 ongoing projects to make southern Louisiana's flood protections far more robust than when Hurricane Katrina destroyed the system in 2005. USA TODAY got a copy of the Army Audit Agency's report under the Freedom of Information Act.

Nearly 85% of construction contracts for upgrades to the region's flood-control system are behind schedule by an average of about 230 days, the audit says. About 74% of pre-construction design contracts for other improvements also are lagging, by an average of 122 days, or about four months.

FLOOD CONTROL: Experts toss more variables into new model

Local officials worry that the corps now will miss its revised June 2011 deadline for getting the region protected against a 100-year flood — a flood so bad it has only a 1% chance of hitting in any year. The corps pushed back its original January 2010 deadline earlier this year.

Congress mandated in June 2006 that projects meet the 100-year-flood test as a response to Katrina, which washed out entire communities and displaced thousands of residents. The flooding exceeded the worst-case scenarios used to design southern Louisiana's protections in the 1950s and '60s.

"The corps is telling us they'll be able to meet the deadlines, but I'm not sure we understand exactly how," says Tim Doody of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority, which manages several levee networks in the region. "We think it probably will be another year after 2011."

more...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-28-nola_N.htm

[Squatch]

1. Is this really a surprise?

Not disparaging my USACE brethren, but when has ANY government project been under budget and on time?

[rodeodance]

2. little follow up by Bush on things that matter.