Subscribe to RSSChandeleur sand berm segment shrinking like a wool sweater in hot water!
by Len Bahr, PhD*
If a single picture is worth 1,000 words this 3-picture 378-word post is short on verbiage but long on information.
Regular readers of LaCoastPost know that I have long been challenging the wisdom and effectiveness of constructing artificial sand berms for the specific purpose of intercepting intruding oil. I’m far from alone in this controversy and all the scientists with whom I have spoken share my concerns. For example, see the article by Amy Wold in the July 11 The Advocate, which describes the decision to build the sand berms as driven more by politics than science.
In terms of specific criticisms, I have predicted that the berms will: (1) squander limited sand resources; (2) increase the depth and reduce the friction of the bottom profile; (3) increase the erosive power of tidal exchange; (4) steal dollars from and interest in less dramatic but more effective measures; (5) exacerbate the ongoing tension and lack of cooperation between federal and state agencies; (6) inject political overtones in what should be objective technical discussions; (7) jeopardize the credibility of the overall mission to protect and restore the Mississippi River delta; and (8) – most telling – fail to actually reduce the risk of oiling local marshes.
My final (9th) criticism and prediction is that these artificial sand ridges, planned in a science vacuum, will not survive the 2010 hurricane season. This is ironic in that the time required to construct them extends well beyond the hurricane season. Hopefully, the source of the oil will be shut down long before the sand berm project is complete. This makes the aggressive selling of the project suspicious and suggests a hidden motive involving massive dredging contracts.
With respect to the short life expectancy of artificial sand berms, examine the following three successive aerial images of ‘progress’ in constructing the first segment of sand berms along the northern section of the (submerged) Chandeleur Island chain. The photographs were taken from approximately the same location and altitude, looking from south to north. I’m not at liberty to credit the source of the photos but I can verify their authenticity.
These sad and shocking images document the waste of enormous resources and time. It’s very hard to resist the temptation to say, “I told you so.”
*Founding editor (leonardbahr@gmail.com)
Photo taken 6.25.10
Photo taken 7.2.10
Photo taken 7.7.10
46 Comments
2010-08-12
09:22:08
I appreciate everyone's comments but this is no more political than the MRGO which led to the demise of the lower Breton Sound Islands like Curlew and then Gosier. Add to that the shrinkage or disappearance of Freemason, West Bar, Monkey Bayou, Hollywood Bayou, New Harbor and N. Islands, and then all of the cuts in the Island. Sure, the past storms contributed but the maintainance dredging of the MRGO was not a good thing. Hence, it's closed. LA and MS have been sitting on hundreds of millions in barrier island restoration funds since Katrina and I applaud Nungesser and Jindal for at least trying something. I wish Haley Barbour would do the same for Cat, Ship, Horn, and Petit Bois Islands. If we can dredge channels to our Ports, deposit it offshore, and not expect this to have severe impact on our Islands, then we are foolish not to try something like the berms. I have wadefished that whole area for years and there are so many sandy shallow spots all up and down Chandeleur with no grass beds growing, poor fishing habitat and now oil contamination. Let's take some drastic measures and build the berms with these shallow areas, then have extensive renourishment of the grass and build some natural fish habitat like more oyster beds, reefs, etc. It can't get any worse than what is already happened.
2010-08-20
11:34:31
I agree. Also, I just viewed an August 10th aerial photo of the Chandeleur bem which on that date was about 2 miles long and 300 feet wide and growing at a rate of approximately 3000 ft./week.
2010-07-29
02:44:44
I totally love this article. I think you could write some other things to make your blog more complete wansantg3lj.
2010-07-20
16:46:51
Surreal......the dedging of heavily contaminated 'desd-zone' sediment +Correxit+ Methylene Bromide, Benzene, Toluene+ good fishin' n' shrimpn' (courtesy of NOAA, Coast Guard, NFFS, and redneck 'Texas' science textbooks)= furthur eroded gene pool, T.I.L.T. pandemic, and mass migration..................hopefully, to Arizona!
2010-07-20
11:02:19
I think Ezra is the one trying to make this into a political circus, not the scientists. Scientists are merely pointing out what is taught to first year oceanography students, namely that beaches are dynamic and will return naturally to their most stable configuration, under the influence of ordinary tides and waves. If these berm structures can't even resist a single high tide, what do you think will be left after the next inevitable tropical storm?
2010-07-20
01:25:59
Off Tampa there are islands that have been there for 80 years, seemingly quite permanent. Once, they were a couple of marshy places in the water. Or, go to the east coast of Florida, and up the entire Atlantic coast for that matter, and see how sand dredging works in water a little rougher than the Gulf. In a few years, there will be beach cottages and beach-goers enjoying the new berms. "Sandy Berm" would be a good name for the new playland.
2010-07-18
20:56:42
Just a thought - about the Gulf oil spill vs the Dubai offshore construction . I don't know much about what has been done in Dubai. Is the concept appropriate here?
2010-07-18
20:02:28
where is the one missing - that of 7/14/10
2010-07-17
04:36:57
Well professor, you told us what you are against. What are you for?
What would you think it would take to rebuild a barrier island system that would work with the natural currents and tides?
What do you believe can be done to reclaim and/or rebuild our marches?
How much time do you calculate this would take?
Do you believe reclaiming our marches would require a constant and continious maintaince effort?
2010-07-16
14:09:54
[...] with a discussion about where the sand could come from and how hard it is to come by. Len Bahr at LaCoastPost has a posting that includes photographs of what is happening to the sand berms built out front of [...]
2010-07-16
11:50:01
[...] erosion, with heavy equipment sinking into the ocean. Photographs released by Louisiana scientist Leonard Bahr and the US Army Corps of Engineers show that the artificial island E-4, intended to reach an [...]
2010-07-16
11:47:11
[...] erosion, with heavy equipment sinking into the ocean. Photographs released by Louisiana scientist Leonard Bahr and the US Army Corps of Engineers show that the artificial island E-4, intended to reach an [...]
2010-07-16
08:28:32
[...] two photographs, taken near the Chandeleur Islands, demonstrate what they meant. The first, showing a berm largely if not entirely completed, was taken [...]
2010-07-15
18:42:29
[...] All three images were first published yesterday by coastal scientist Leonard Bahr on his blog, LACoastPost.Bahr, a former researcher at Louisiana State University, spent 18 years in the governor’s [...]
2010-07-15
15:13:27
[...] with pictures. Former coastal adviser to the governors (and coastal scientist) Len Bahr has these overhead shots of the berms washing away. Hm. Well. Okay. Wait! Got it! Put out a really general press release and [...]
2010-07-15
14:21:27
[...] Chandeleur sand berm segment shrinking like a wool sweater in hot water!: These sad and shocking images document the waste of enormous resources and time. It’s very hard to resist the temptation to say, “I told you so.” (LACoastPost) [...]
2010-07-15
13:20:11
[...] erosion, with heavy equipment sinking into the ocean. Photographs released by Louisiana scientist Leonard Bahr and the US Army Corps of Engineers show that the artificial island E-4, intended to reach an [...]
2010-07-15
04:55:10
Obama forced Jindel to stop this and refused to allow the equipment to be removed.
Obama is the one who caused the sand island failure- and he did it on purpose to make the crisis worse.
2010-07-14
19:53:37
A couple million dollars worth of equipment "left to die" Why and who can afford that when it is time to clean the beaches instead of hauling the beaches to the landfills as well. Very disheartening.
2010-07-14
10:03:15
Ezra, I can SEE the erosion in the photos. Why can't you? High tide has nothing to do with what these photos show.
2010-07-14
18:23:23
Ezra's point is valid. We have had extremely high tides in early July. This photo essay would be far more convincing if a photo from 7-13 were posted.
I understand what the coastal geologists are saying here, and I personally believe they are probably right, but the third photo does not satisfy me at all.
2010-07-14
08:29:45
[...] look good for berm supporters…an eroding monument to wasted time and money. See for yourself: http://lacoastpost.com/blog/?p=25001 Send to [...]
2010-07-14
06:14:36
PSA (Public Service Annoucement):
The 2 super levee boards (Southeast Flood Protection Authority – East and Southeast Flood Protection Authority – West) plus the Louisiana Geological Survey and the New Orleans Geological Society are hosting the 4th Annual 2010 Flood Protection Geological Symposium, "Geologic Facts of Life for Flood Protection in Coastal Louisiana" (free and open to the public) on tomorrow, Thursday, July 15, at the Government Office Building, 200 Derbigny Street, Gretna, LA 70053.
For Announcement, Presenters Abstracts & Biographies go to:
http://www.nogs.org/SympAbstsBiosPhotos.pdf.
2010-07-14
06:23:30
OOPS! Forgot - the presentations begin at 1pm. The boards are holding a joint session starting at 9 am then staying after lunch for the 4 talks.
I understand the T-P has a brief story/notice of this today but I didn't find it.
2010-07-13
21:58:48
[...] the first storm. And the company that was hired to build them was Jindal’s number 3 donor! More here. The Teabaggers were 100% in favor of [...]
2010-07-13
16:02:51
[...] time. It’s very hard to resist the temptation to say, “I told you so.” More at: Chandeleur sand berm segment shrinking like a wool sweater in hot water! | LaCoastPost Note: The contract to build these berms was awarded by Jindal to the number three contributor to [...]
2010-07-13
16:01:11
[...] to Len Bahr, a former LSU faculty member who posted these photos, they were all taken from roughly the same location and altitude in the Chandeleur [...]
2010-07-13
14:58:52
[...] So not only has Jindal dredged from our existing natural barrier islands making us more susceptible to storm surges, he has also wasted the manpower and money building these berms that scientists told him would not work anyway. [...]
2010-07-13
14:52:11
Wonder how much diesel will leak out of the bulldozer, not only did the project fail to stop the DH oil, it added its own barrel or two of diesel (and after awhile hydralic fluid and heavy lubricating oils).
2010-07-13
14:26:25
[...] Chandeleur sand berm segment shrinking like a wool sweater in hot water! | LaCoastPost Progress pics: 6.25.10 7.2.10 7.7.10 So, um, maybe the scientists were right and stuff? [...]
2010-07-13
09:48:32
Len,
You've been telling them so for over 30 yrs...are you feeling a bit like Cassandra yet?
I told you back when that "they" wouldn't listen, remember? I think I am proof of it, but at least you weathered the storms generated by telling the truth loudly and often far better than I ever did on any of my issues.
At least someone had the foresight to keep you on Coastal Affairs advisory for so long, maybe you rubbed off on some of them.
Ciao.
2010-07-13
07:21:49
Typical republican waste. All politics, no rational ideas.
2010-07-12
19:42:07
The "islands" made in the Gulf to protect Louisiana's sensitive marshland are already failing \
http://news.discovery.com/earth/gulfs-artificial-islands-already-failing.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1
Jindal WASTED OUR TAX dollars on Grandstanding and Bullshit!
WTF? WTF? Listen to the experts and the scientists next time!!!
2010-07-12
16:35:01
A number of folks here have missed the key point: the Govneror, along with Mr. Nungesser, has sold this proposal to the public by sayingi it can be built quickly and will keep much - if not most - of the approaching oil out of the marsh and off of the beach. Both claims are blatantly untrue, and any rational assessment will acknowledge that.
How well what they're doing holds up is almost a separate - though related - issue. It goes to the question of whether the state and its contractors know what they're doing, but the CPRA itself has admitted that the limited portion of the permit that was approved will take up to 5 months to complete.
Even if the entire Chandeleur portion of the original "plan" were approved, it would take at least that long (hurricane impacts aside) to complete, and would not keep out oil that sadly continues to flow in. The feds suggested smaller berms strategically placed near shore, which could be completed in time to keep some oil, but the state rejected that. Let's not forget, either, that the state and Mr. Nungesser's original plan would have probably severely damaged the Chandeleur Islands. They no doubt will try to strike that from the record, but it's there.
2010-07-12
11:02:49
wait just a minute. the permit says that the berms are to be something like 25 feet wide at the top. these pictures are showing something way more than 25 feet wide....so what are these pictures of??
2010-07-12
06:10:12
What a surprise that the sand washed away in the surf. Never seen that before, or have we...?
2010-07-11
22:49:22
Big waste of time, money, sand and political clout. You can really see the berm getting chewed away in that last picture, and those aren't exactly huge waves. Looks like the best possible outcome is that some sand got added back into the system
Len, it may be tough to resist the temptation to say "I told you so," but you might consider biting your tongue. From a PR standpoint, the Jindal administration and the other berm/rock jetty advocates are light years ahead of the coastal science community, even now, after months of public discussion. It makes no sense to give them an opportunity to paint the science community as rooting for failure.
2010-07-11
20:24:08
These pictures prove nothing, other than the tide was high when the last one was taken. It looks to me like the sand berms are holding out well, given that the tide was nearly 2 ft above normal that day. What I would really like to see is how they look after the high tide receded, but that picture wasn't presented to us.
As for 1 -9, there are many legitimate and rational responses to these points. They have been raised, for example in the comments and LTE's on Len's op-ed. Yet, all Len can do is marginalizes these views as coming from an affected population caught up in "panic and desperation" (Len's exact words.) He has yet to provide a well-thought out response to the many holes in his argument that have been raised.
In the end, I'm convinced that Len is mostly interested in turning this crisis into a political circus. It is a fact that he has spent more words bashing the governor than he has spent on solutions to the oil spill crisis. His bias is obvious, for example, in his one-sided interpretation of the incomplete evidence presented above. Likewise, for the his one-sided interpretation on the Hesco baskets in Cameron that had not been fully installed when Alex hit.
While I am far from being a fan of Jindal, I fail to see the merits of the 'coastal scientists' turning this crisis into a political circus.
2010-07-14
18:55:07
Ezra,
I've seen the Cameron baskets. The walls on Johnsons Bayou beach, Holly Beach, and Rutherford Beach have all been breached. Alex did a good deal of the damage, but normal tidal flow both incoming an outgoing has also created openings in each wall. There's nothing one-sided about the interpretation. And lest you think I have an outsider's viewpoint, the worst criticism I've heard of the project came from a landowner with marshes on his land. One of his complaints was that a "bunch of teenagers with no adult supervision" built the wall south of his land. The other was "What are they thinking?" The wall was breached in two spots, both breaches coming from water running back to the beach!
As for the argument about the tide being high in the Chandeleur photo, don't wise humans usually park above the highest expected tide line, especially if they're driving very expensive machinery? Guess so, huh?
2010-07-16
05:55:56
Recorded history might have turned out different if you could hold back moving water with piles of sand. But surprise surprise as every little kid with an IQ over 25 who has actually been to the beach knows It doesn't work. Jindal is a clown, I guess the best way to combat his idiocy is to simply give him what he asks for.
2010-07-11
20:14:22
Not trying to be a smart a** here, but is this a picture set of a failed attempt to restore the Chandeleur Island chain itself or of a failed attempt to build an outer sand barrier island to protect what's left of the Chandeleur Island chain?
Somewhere I saved an article about the first NOAA overflights of the Chandeleurs after Katrina. They flew out to the assigned lat-longs but there was nothing above water to photograph in any of the target boxes.
Can someone draw a distinction for me as to why saving the Chandeleurs is a good idea but this sand pile is not? Ignore the motivation, Nov 10 or 12 or whatever, and please focus on the merits of sand sprinkling itself, regardless of the reason(s) why it was done. I'm seeing the "jet" effect as an issue in this open water.
The outcome of my other research tasking has almost all pointed in the direction of "retreat" rather that "restore" but that's probably because I've spent some time around structural geology.
2010-07-11
20:15:37
OOPS! Left out a "not." No jet in the open water. takes two sides to form a gap.
2010-07-11
19:35:47
This is politics; plain and simple; everyone is jostling for Nov, and this one is Nov 2012 as well as the one just 4 months away. They (you know who) is looking for ways to make this Obama's Katrina, whoich it isn't even if MMS could make you a libertarian....
photos are GREAT. they say it . the only good thing is it kept some people employed but at what a cost when many other clean up activities are more worthy...
2010-07-11
14:09:54
What are the limits to the sand the Corps are going to spend getting this thing to specs, if it ever washes away before meeting specs?
2010-07-11
13:31:31
Did anybody really believe that the sand berm would be more efficient than this? I don’t think that this kind of protection works was proposed by the Dutch Engineers because in Holland they have structures very much different for protecting their low lands.
2010-07-11
11:31:42
Apart from the waste of money involved (including presumably the cost of the bulldozer and any other equipment left to die), how much oil have these berms actually stopped from getting into the marshes?