Corps Of Engineers Report Casts New Doubts On Reliability Of New Orleans Canal Pumps

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ The faulty drainage pumps that the Army Corps of Engineers installed before last year's hurricane season still have mechanical flaws, according to a Corps report released Friday

Friday, June 8th 2007, 5:09 pm

By: News On 6

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ The faulty drainage pumps that the Army Corps of Engineers installed before last year's hurricane season still have mechanical flaws, according to a Corps report released Friday that also criticized the pump contracts. Sen. Mary Landrieu immediately called for a federal investigation.

Although the pumps have been overhauled, critical deficiencies remain a year later, the report said.

The review by three Corps engineers backed up the findings of a May 2006 memo by a Corps mechanical engineer working on the $32 million project to put 34 pumps at city canals. The memo warned that the pumps were faulty and would not work if needed to remove water during a hurricane.

The pumps were rushed into operation before the start of the 2006 hurricane season. The previous year, Hurricane Katrina inundated 80 percent of the city after its flood protection system failed.

The Corps has insisted the pumps would have worked, but last year's unexpectedly mild hurricane season never tested them.

Among the lingering problems cited in the latest report: Suction intakes on the pumps have not been properly added, even though the contract with Moving Water Industries Corp. has called for making the change since last July.

The Corps review also criticized documentation of contracts connected to the MWI pumps. MWI is a politically connected firm based in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

``The contract files are not consistent with established standard procedures,'' the report said. ``Any lack of proper documentation leaves the government open to potential contract claims that would be difficult to defend.''

Landrieu, D-La., sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales asking for an investigation into the problems outlined in the new report.

Last month, the Government Accountability Office said a review it launched after the May 2006 memo surfaced found no evidence of fraud or improper influence in the project, according to Landrieu, who was briefed by the agency.