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SIMULATION OF FRESHWATER PLUME FROM LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA

Contact

http://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_comments.cfm

Citation:

KHANGAONKAR, T., W. E. FRICK, H. LIU, AND Z. YANG. SIMULATION OF FRESHWATER PLUME FROM LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN AND THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA. Presented at 2006 Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, HI, February 20 - 24, 2006.

Impact/Purpose:

A main objective of this task is to combine empirical and physical mechanisms in a model, known as Visual Beach, that

  • is user-friendly
  • includes point and non-point sources of contamination
  • includes the latest bacterial decay mechanisms
  • incorporates real-time and web-based ambient and atmospheric and aquatic conditions
  • and has a predictive capability of up to three days to help avert potential beach closures.
The suite of predictive capabilities for this software application can enhance the utility of new methodology for analysis of indicator pathogens by identifying times that represent the highest probability of bacterial contamination. Successful use of this model will provide a means to direct timely collection of monitoring samples, strengthening the value of the short turnaround time for sampling. Additionally, in some cases of known point sources of bacteria, such as waste water treatment plant discharges, the model can be applied to help guide operational controls to help prevent resulting beach closures.

Description:

In the spirit of a post-Katrina response, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was set up and applied to the hurricane Katrina affected region of Mississippi River delta, Lake Pontchartran, and the Gulf of Mexico coastline near New Orleans. Following Katrina, there was concern about dispersion and spreading of bacteria and other contaminants from the CSO mixed streams from de-watering of New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain, and subsequent flow of the contaminated water out of the Lake into the coastal waters. The objective of this modeling effort was to develop a numerical predictive tool to assess the short term/long-term ecosystem impacts from the outflow of polluted water and re-suspended contaminated sediments from Lake Pontchartrain, on the nearby wetlands along the coastline near the mouth of Mississippi River.

Record Details:

Record Type:DOCUMENT( PRESENTATION/ POSTER)
Product Published Date:02/22/2006
Record Last Revised:06/21/2006
Record ID: 150506