Ahead of schedule and under budget, DuPont announced today that it has completed a project aimed at protecting its DeLisle titanium dioxide plant from hurricanes. The plant was badly damaged last year after experiencing a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina.
The site resumed manufacturing operations in January. The flood protection project, announced in April, had an estimated cost of $15 to $20 million to top the plant’s existing 20-foot earthen levee with a 10-foot flood wall. The final cost is now estimated at $12.5 million.
“We decided to err on the side of safety by adding 12 feet, rather than 10, to the existing levee,” said Rick Olson, vice president and general manager of DuPont Titanium Technologies. “Katrina taught us that no amount of preparation is a guarantee, but we think this project goes a long way toward protecting our employees, customers and investors from the effects of future storms.”
The enhanced levee/flood wall stands 32 feet tall. Construction of the “sheet pile” wall required 4,000 sheets of steel, each measuring 27 inches wider and 38 feet long. Some 286 truckloads of steel, weighing eight million pounds, were delivered to the site. The sheets were driven vertically into the ground until the desired height was achieved.
Construction began in May and was completed in mid-July. The plant is now fully operational and is running at near-capacity rates.