The London Avenue Canal is a drainage canal in New Orleans, Louisiana, used for pumping rain water into Lake Pontchartrain. Canals are artificial channels for water There are two types of canals water conveyance canals which are used for the conveyance and delivery of water and Waterways New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Lake Pontchartrain (ˈpɒntʃətreɪn in English Lac Pontchartrain IPA in French) is a brackish Lake The Canal runs through the 7th Ward of New Orleans from the Gentilly area to the Lakefront. The 7th Ward is a section of New Orleans Louisiana. It is geographically the second largest of the 17 Wards of New Orleans, after the 9th Ward.
The Canal was constructed in the first half of the 19th century, commissioned by Alexander Milne, who owned large tracts of land that would later become part of the city of New Orleans but were at the time mostly swamp. Alexander Milne (1742 - 1838 was a Scottish-American Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. The canal originally served to commerce of small boat traffic from Lake Pontchartrain to the "Back of Town" section of New Orleans in addition to swamp drainage (which early on it did little of). By the end of the 19th century, with most commerce shifted to other canals specifically designed for shipping, the London Avenue Canal had achieved its modern function to take flow of drainage mechanically pumped from the streets of the City. However early on this was mostly just water from the river-side of the Canal head; most of the area along the Canal in back of Gentilly Ridge remained cypress swamp with a few cow-pastures subject to periodic flooding.
In the early 20th century the old "London Avenue Machine" steam-pump at the head of the Canal was replaced with a more efficient system of high capacity pumps designed by A. Baldwin Wood. Albert Baldwin Wood ( December 1 1879 - May 10 1956) was an Inventor and Engineer from New Orleans Louisiana Residential development of the areas along the Canal in the Gentilly neighborhood (except along the highest ground along Gentilly Road itself) did not begin until after Wood's improved drainage system was operational. Dillard University was established beside the Canal. Dillard University is a private historically black Liberal arts college in New Orleans Louisiana.
In the 1930s construction of levees along Lake Pontchartrain and the Paris Avenue Canal improved drainage further back along the Canal's borders. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. With additional lift pumps in place in 1945, the full length of land along the Canal all the way back to the lake was soon developed as residential neighborhoods. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar
A major project of upgrading the floodwalls and bridges along the Canal was begun in 1999.
The London Avenue Canal Levee and floodwall was breached during or shortly after Hurricane Katrina in late August of 2005. Dike (constructionEmbankmentA levee, levée, dike (or dyke) embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This breach contributed to the flooding of New Orleans. Some has speculated that were it not for the breachs most of western Gentilly may have been spared from major flooding.
The first major breach, on the west or upper (up-river) side of the canal was behind the homes around the 6100 block of Pratt Drive (about 1/2 block riverward from Robert E. Lee Avenue). A second breach, on the east or lower or down-river side of the canal behind the homes near the intersection of Wilton and Warrington Drives (a block back from Mirabeau Avenue. )
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began efforts to fill the breaches in September; More flooding flowed from the incompletely patched canal during Hurricane Rita the next month, but not enough extent to cause any damage that was not already left from Hurricane Katrina. The United States Army Corps of Engineers ( USACE) is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34600 Civilian and 650 Military personnel Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense Tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico
Examinations have shown that high water never topped the floodwalls; the flooding was due to engineering failure of the levees and floodwalls. Allegations of design flaws, shoddy construction, and use of inferior materials are being investigated.
Water continued to flow from seepage in the temporary levee in lower breach in sufficient quantity to cover nearby streets as late as the first week of January, 2006. That month the Army Corps of Engineers finished temporary repairs of the canal breaches; a project of more permanent repairs is underway.
See also
- Drainage in New Orleans
- Industrial Canal
- 17th Street Canal
- Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans
External links
- Gentilly Neighborhood Mapping – Post-Katrina Community Restoration Mapping (Dartmouth College and Dillard University)
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