WASHINGTON, DC, October 9, 2007 (ENS) - The main pumps protecting New Orleans in the event of a major hurricane or flood are "inherently flawed" due to poor design and still have not been properly tested, according to whistleblower disclosure documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, PEER.

The top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specialist assigned to oversee the city's new pumping system says that key safeguards were circumvented and "there is an erroneous assumption that…hydraulic pumps are fully operational, and hence, the risk to the public remains high," in the words of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.

Maria Garzino, a veteran Corps civil engineer, who was the team leader of pumping systems installation for New Orleans, has filed for federal whistleblower status with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, OSC.

In a September 21 letter, the OSC notified Defense Secretary Robert Gates that it found Garzino's charges credible.

Writing from the OSC's office, Scott Bloch informed the defense secretary, "I have concluded that there is a substantial likelihood that the information she provided to the Office of Special Counsel discloses violations of law, rule or regulation, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, and a substantial and specific danger to public health."

By law, Secretary Gates must respond within 60 days.

Bloch's letter states, "My office has received serious allegations which cast doubt on the integrity of costly pumping equipment installed in three main structures by the USACE and its ability to protect New Orleans from further flooding."

The three structures are located at 17th Street, Orleans Avenue, and London Avenue.

"A failure of the pumping equipment to function properly during a time of flooding may be yet another catastrophic event for New Orleans, a city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina," Bloch wrote.

In her disclosure, Garzino outlined extensive problems with the hydraulic pumps that the Corps overlooked in order to allow the contractor "to meet time-sensitive deadlines, and to avoid government imposed damages and instead earn financial incentives."

While serious problems with the pumps previously identified by Garzino in 2006 - including "catastrophic failure" from gears "blowing up" - had been acknowledged by the Corps, the agency now asserts that these concerns have all been resolved.

Garzino, to the contrary, argues that the Corps review team under the command of Brigadier Gen. Robert Crear "arrived on a Friday and then provided a report by Saturday night" without enough time to address technical issues or even interview Garzino. That report was issued on June 4, 2007.

She maintains that in the summer of 2007, additional pumps were installed and tested but the reliability of the original 40 pumps is still being assumed, despite strong indications that they could not function under a full "load" for substantial periods of time.

Corps commanders deliberately evaded "adequate performance testing requirements" and approved improper contract modifications, Garzino alleges.

Garzino filed the disclosure with the OSC after finding that the Corps "misled [her] into believing that USACE was going to properly address the pumping equipment problems."

At the same time, "the media had already been informed that the pumps were operational."

"The Corps clearly still suffers from crippling integrity failures," said PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch, noting the rising calls for "Corps Reform" stemming from reports by other agency whistleblowers. "As at Walter Reed Hospital, Secretary Gates will have to clean house at the Corps."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.