Public Mtg: Concerning Saltwater Barrier
 

I got this message from a friend of mine. Any of you river rats have any input?

To all my river friends. There will be a public meeting concerning the Calcasieu Parish Saltwater Barrier reducing its hours of operation. It is going to be held at the Managan Center in Westlake on December 12 at 6:00pm. If you live, fish, boat, camp or have any interest in the river you should be there.

Comments??

I am good with the hours changing. I don't have any issues cause I don't go up there much.
They will still open late on holidays like July 4th and Contraband Days so boats can still get up North late at night.

I don't have a problem with the earlier closing.

But.......back in August when I was breaking in my new outboard engine, I road from Moss Bluff down to Haymark one afternoon. I stopped a bunch to also fish.

When I was heading back up past I-10 bridge, I remembered that there was something posted about there "operating" hours. I think I passed the Saltwater barrier just a little before it was due to close.

Question.......I know a lot of the time the barrier locks stay open. Is this just when the tide is falling? Is the barrier always closed if the tide is rising and the water is trying to reverse direction?

I have never seen gates closed on spillway

Worse comes to worse, you bite the bullet and float across the spillway potentially scratching your hull. The spillway gates do close during extreme tides and floods a routine maintence. The actual gates close every night Aswell.

Launch on the South side, if you are fishing South.
They keep track of the opening and closings.
That's how they are figuring out when to open and close.
It is about cost. Why stay open if no one is going thru.
They are paying a couple guys to sit and watch TV.
It's not really a big thing right now. You just have to pay
attention to what time it is.
If you get stuck, you will have to get someone to come
get you so you can go get your truck/trailer and pick up
at a different launch.
I have been stuck on the North side in my big boat. Just
anchored and had to wait for morning. Cranked up the BBQ
pit, drinked some beers and took a nap.

Unfortunately the cuts at the saltwater barrier are going to cause job loss. I used to work at Calcasieu Locks and I got a call from a friend of mine last night asking if I knew of any job openings at the plants because it was about to get bad at the locks.

According to him, The hour change at salt water barrier is causing 1 eployee from there being moved to calc. locks. This causes the full crew at locks to compensate and have to each work a hitch in the yard as apposed to the wall, causing my buddy to lose around $600 a month. And eventually the cuts will affect Calc locks and they will be laying off 5 operators and will be going to a one operator system to operate both gates.

Welcome to Obama's government!

But But But......those who don't work will be livin' like fat cats

Sadly we gotta start cutting somewhere. And us that aren't delusional know damn well it ain't gonna be entitlements! Congratulations democraps

Nope, we'll gut the military before we cut off the freeloaders!

Momma gotta get hur cheeze!!!

The Calcasieu Locks see a lot of action. The Saltwater Barrier doesn't see near as much boat traffic as the locks.

yea but with bridge on miller ave closing it needs to stay open until its finished anyway dont like saltwater barrier launch always used mr brewers and went under bridge.

I agree if it is just for recreational traffic about paying guys to watch TV, but the company I work for has barge terminal that goes through there on a daily basis.
This company employs over 100 ppl in the SWLA area, and this would negatively impact their business. I think the economic loss to the area would be much greater than having to pay a couple of people to "watch tv".

LA tank or Central Crude? Or, is that one in the same?

I wonder if when the saltwater barrier was first built, it was sold to the public with promises that boat traffic would not be restricted. There are many ways that the solution to an environmental concern can later become a major impediment to economic activity, especially those that require ongoing funding not to impact industrial interests.

Take note of this with respect to the proposed saltwater barrier on the ship channel south of big lake. Should we believe the promises that commercial ship traffic will not be impacted? What about budget cuts down the road?

You're talking about huge corporations being impacted here. Citgo, Connoco, PPG et al. The port of Lake Charles is the lifeblood of SW Louisiana. I don't think you can compare this to the river rats at all.

I operate on the principle that those who are faithful in little are faithful in much and that those who are not faithful in little will not be faithful in much.