CCA Louisiana - Old twin spans' rubble may become fishing reefs

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Old twin spans' rubble may become fishing reefs

by Christine Harvey, The Times-Picayune
Saturday April 19, 2008, 9:38 PM

Once the new Interstate 10 bridge over eastern Lake Pontchartrain is
completed, a marine conservation organization wants to use the rubble
from the existing twin spans to create two artificial reefs that, in turn,
would attract more fish to the area.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana has presented
its reef proposal to the state Department of Transportation and Development,
which in recent weeks sought public input on how to use the old bridge
once the new one opens.

St. Tammany Parish officials have suggested a 2,000-foot-long fishing pier,
giving local residents a public place to fish in the eastern part of the parish.
In addition, the Causeway Commission has asked the state transportation
department for some of the span sections to use as safety bays
alongside the Causeway bridge.

The reefs would measure an acre each and be midway between
I-10 and the U.S. 11 bridge, which links Irish Bayou in eastern New Orleans
and Eden Isles south of Slidell. The project would require 2,000 linear feet of
concrete from one span, said John Walther, a volunteer coordinator with CCA
Louisiana's reef restoration and building program. The project would mimic
shell reefs found in nature and give marine life, such as oysters and clams,
a hard surface to attach themselves to, Walther said.

Their presence is invaluable for the food chain, as they attract more fish
to the area, he said. CCA Louisiana got the idea for using the bridge rubble
as reefs, and where to put them, from Dudley Vandenborre, who has been
running a charter fishing business from his Eden Isles home.

For the past decade, Vandenborre has taken clients to his favorite fishing
spots in Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne to catch speckled trout, redfish
and flounder. "It's going to improve fishing greatly," Vandenborre said.
"The lake is relatively barren."

The lake's bottom is soft and muddy, like "black pudding," said Patrick
Fink, a contractor with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
which is partnering with CCA Louisiana and the state Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries on the project. In addition to creating a hard surface for mollusks,
an artificial reef provides an uneven environment where juvenile fish can live and grow, he said.

Rubble used elsewhere
Artificial reefs made from concrete would be a first in Louisiana, as the
state now requires the reefs be created from a particular kind of limestone
that must be imported from Kentucky and Missouri, Walther said. The
pingpong-ball-sized limestone is expensive and hard to transport, so
using the rubble from the spans, as has been done elsewhere in the
country, would be a great benefit for the program, he said.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland began constructing
four artificial reefs in Chesapeake Bay in 2006 using the rubble from the
demolition of the old mile-long Woodrow Wilson bridge, which crossed
the Potomac River along Interstate 95 south of Washington, D.C. A new
bridge is under construction.

CCA Maryland is working with the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources to build the reefs, which are 100 to 150 miles away from the
bridge's former site, said Robert Glenn, the organization's executive director.
Each reef consists of about 15,000 tons of concrete -- mostly deck slabs,
pillars and columns -- and rises 10 feet off the bottom of the bay, he said.

The reefs cost about $1.3 million to build, with the money primarily going
toward transporting the concrete, Glenn said. The project is now in its final
stages, as workers will bring the final barge loads of concrete to Chesapeake
Bay this summer, he said.

Limestone typically has been required in Louisiana because nets can snag
on a more jagged surface, Walther said. However, shrimp trawling is prohibited
in the area where CCA Louisiana wants to build the artificial reefs, so the
requirement for a smoother surface area becomes moot, he said.

The reefs would not interfere with marine traffic, as they would rest on the
lake's bottom and allow several feet of water above for boats to pass, Walther said.
It is uncommon to build artificial reefs in the open water, where boats can
travel at full-throttle and the reefs would be inconvenient to reach, Fink said.

For the complete story, please visit the New Orleans Times Picayune
website by clicking on the link below:http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/
old_twin_spans_rubble_may_beco.html