New Orleans Pumps Pass First Storm Tests
Moving Water Industries said on Sept. 19 that its 18 HAC360 60-inch diameter Hydraflo Pumps located at the 17th Street Outfall Canal and the 12 pumps at the London Avenue Outfall Canal operated flawlessly during both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike to prevent flooding in New Orleans.
Each pump has a capacity of 218 cubic feet per second or 98,000 gallons of water per minute.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated that "Hurricane Gustav gave [the Corps] the first opportunity to operate the gates and the pumps at the 17th Street and London Avenue Outfall Canals in an actual storm event." "The gates and pumps worked as designed" they declared and "passed the first real-life storm event test."
Corps officials announced on September 15 that Hurricane Ike later produced some "significant storm surges in Lake Pontchartrain" which allowed them to successfully operate the 10 pumps at the Orleans Outfall Canal for the first time as well as the successful operation of 30 pumps at the 17th Street and London Avenue Outfall canals for the second time.