Eight pumps with a capacity totaling 13,920 cu ft per second were put through their paces on June 3, demonstrating that the $1-billion Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex near Harvey, La., is ready for operation this hurricane season.
The complex consists of operating gates, t-walls and levees that are designed to close up as a barrier to reduce the impact from a 100-year storm surge entering the Harvey and Algiers Canals on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in Greater New Orleans. The pump complex, which is the largest interior drainage pump station in the world, will evacuate stormwater that would otherwise build up behind the barrier and flood areas of the city when the gates are closed.