NEW ORLEANS — A sinkhole has eroded a portion of the levee along the New Orleans Lakefront.
Levee District Police discovered the hole on Friday behind a pavilion between Canal Boulevard and Robert E Lee.
Ellen Meyers typically walks the area with her dog. On Monday, Meyers said, “It’s a little surprising and it’s a little disturbing.”
The hole is roughly five feet in diameter at the surface and ten feet deep. It’s unclear what exactly caused the earthen levee to erode.
“Yeah, it’s not good, it’s pretty upsetting,” Meyers said.
The Flood Protection Authority said the sinkhole has not changed much in size since Friday. Right now, authorities are keeping a watchful eye to make sure it doesn’t get any bigger.
Some residents are concerned with how big the sinkhole is especially as hurricane season looms over.
Jackie Mornay said, “Hurricane season is around the corner and it floods all the time in New Orleans. So, I’m interested to see how we will fix this.”
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority are working to identify the cause and come up with a plan to repair the levee.
A spokesperson said, “FPA engineers are currently reviewing available documents and ‘As Built’ drawings, along with the Corps of Engineers, to develop plans to identify the cause and repair the levee. The FPA has one of our Emergency Contractors on stand-by ready to mobilize as soon as a repair plan is in place. Repairs should take a few days. In the meantime, we have equipment and 3000 pound sand bags staged for immediate response in the event of a storm entering the Gulf of Mexico.”
Meyers said, “Pray that everything gets fixed and actually, pray for no hurricanes.”
Once a plan is in place, the levee could be repaired in a matter of days.