The River, the Levies, and the
Future of New Orleans
Ken Tabbutt
April 14, 2006
Reconstructing New Orleans:
Class, Race and the Ownership
Society
Natural Earth Cycles
James Hutton (1726 – 1797)
National Galleries of Scotland
“The Present is the Key to the Past”
Natural Geologic (and Atmospheric) Processes
•Earthquakes
•Tsunami
•Volcanic Eruptions
•Floods
•Hurricanes
•Sedimentation
•Subsidence and Uplift
•Meteorite Impacts
•Climate Change
Shake Map of Nisqually Earthquake 2/01
Flood Events (Rivers)
United States Geologic Survey
Hydrograph
Mississippi River, Baton Rouge
United States Geologic Survey
Discharge Rating Curve
Fetter, C. W., 1994, Applied Hydrogeology: Prentice Hall.
Hydrograph
Mississippi River, Baton Rouge
United States Geologic Survey
Discharge Exceedance Probability
Flooding
Natural Disasters or Hazards
River Flooding Hazard
Lower Mississippi River
Cairo, Illinois - Mouth
New Orleans
Natural (and unnatural) Processes
• Subsidence
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Sea Level
Rise
Image obtained from NASA
Natural (and unnatural) Processes
• Subsidence
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Sea Level
Rise
Image obtained from NASA
Subsidence
• Natural gradual subsidence of the Gulf
Coast Basin and the Mississippi delta
sediments (compaction and tectonic)
• Resource extraction (gas
and oil)
• Lack of sediment
supply
Natural (and unnatural) Processes
• Subsidence
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Sea Level
Rise
Image obtained from NASA
Flooding
New Orleans Levees
Natural (and unnatural) Processes
• Subsidence
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Sea Level
Rise
Image obtained from NASA
Hurricane Katrina
Natural (and unnatural) Processes
• Subsidence
• Flooding
• Hurricanes
• Sea Level
Rise
Image obtained from NASA
Sea Level Rise
Sea Water Temperature
Mitigation
New Orleans, Louisiana FEMA floodmap
Mitigation
• Engineered Solutions
Flood Control
Channelization
Floodproofing
• Social Solutions
Remove Structures
Zoning
Warning Systems
Flood Insurance (spread the cost)
• Society must understand the spatial and temporal
impact of these processes in order to avoid
potential hazards.
• We must weigh the long-term costs associated
with these natural cycles.
• We must understand how anthropogenic
practices can change the spatial and temporal
nature of these cycles.
• We must understand they are dynamic systems.