As New Orleans' complex $14.6-billion storm-surge risk reduction system—which was federally funded, designed and constructed—races toward substantial completion, local stakeholders now are asking if the federal government will help them maintain it.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' preliminary estimate for the system's annual operations and maintenance is $38.3 million; but that amount represents only the O&M cost of perimeter protections, including surge barriers, pump stations and gates that didn't previously exist.