“THE POPOSED PHYSICAL MODEL STUDY TO ADDRESS FLOODING AT THE FISHING HOLE ROAD CAUSEWAY/ HAWKSBILL CREEK & QUEEN’S COVE ENVRIONS IN GRAND BAHAMA”

WEDNESDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2006
 

Mr. Speaker, you will recall that last week I forecasted that I would shortly bring a communication pointing the way forward in addressing another issue of deep concern that related to the good people of Grand Bahama, the Fishing Hole Road.
 Mr. Speaker, I am very delighted today to address the long and vexing problem of flooding of the Fishing Hole Road and the Queen’s Cove subdivision.

Mr. Speaker, the Fishing Hole Road has been studied by a number of engineering firms over the years and  the following information is taken from the 1996 Dames and Moore Report (funded by the Grand Bahama Port Authority) and the 2001 HR Wallingford Report (which was funded jointly by the Government of the Bahamas and the IDB).

Mr. Speaker, the Fishing Hole Road Causeway consists of a full cross-section of fill that prevents normal tidal exchange between the northern and southern portions of Hawksbill Creek.  It effectively transforms the creek into two long, dead-end channels that are not efficient in flushing out contaminants. Clearly the fill was not natural but was a deliberate action of those responsible. Several well thinking Bahamians and residents point to the Fishing Hole Road as a very serious dilemma that has been man initiated.
 
Mr. Speaker, in 1996, Dames and Moore applied a finite element hydro-dynamic model to the flooding in Hawksbill Creek caused by the 1995 Category 1 Hurricane Erin to estimate the tidal exchange for various options.   Three alternatives were considered:
•        Alternative 1 – addition of four pre-cast concrete box culverts which represents 25% of the natural channel flow, i.e. the flow which would obtain if the causeway did not exist.
•        Alternative 2 – addition of eight box culverts representing 40% of the natural channel flow.
•        Alternative 3 – culverts with a total width of 105 ft. which represents 51% of the natural channel flow.
 
Mr. Speaker, alternatives 1 and 2 were not recommended as they resulted in a net flow to the north allowing the contaminants of the Freeport Harbour to flow into the more pristine waters of the Northern Hawksbill Creek Area.   Dames and Moore recommended the installation of culvert sections with a minimum opening of 100 ft. which would prevent significant overtopping of the causeway except for a 20 feet storm surge.
 
However, Mr. Speaker, subsequent to the passage of Category 4 Hurricane Floyd in 1999, a further model study was conducted by HR Wallingford using the data collected during the Hurricane.   The work in this study included the building of a local numerical flow model of the area around the causeway and then simulating the water elevation and current generated by Hurricane Floyd.   Comparative runs of the Fishing Hole Road model were made with and without the causeway to assess whether or not the causeway increased flood levels at Queen’s Cove and the Freeport Airport.  The model was run for both hurricane and non-hurricane conditions and the worst case scenario identified.  The maximum surge predictions at Fishing Hole Road were determined to be:

Storm Track Category Surge with Causeway Surge Without Causeway
Floyd 4 12.8 ft. 12.8 ft
NW Bound 1 5.9 ft. 7.9 ft.
NW Bound offset 32 KM SW 1 1.3 ft
NW Bound offset 32 KMNE 1 1.3 ft
North Bound 1 1.6 ft
North East Bound 1 1.3 ft.
North Bound 3 9.2 ft.
North West Bound 3 11.5 ft.
North West Bound 5 18.0 ft.
West Bound 5 22.6 ft.
 

Mr. Speaker, it was determined that for a Category 1 Hurricane the flood level would be reduced by 4.6 inches and for a Category 2 Hurricane the flood level would be reduced by 2.4 inches.   The conclusion of this report was that the causeway does not significantly affect the level of hurricane-induced flooding.

Mr. Speaker, based on the HR Wallingford Study, the Consulting Engineering Firm WSP designed a replacement causeway with an 18 ft. span concrete bridge section about 1,300 feet east of the round-about west of Fishing Hole Rd.  The new road on the causeway would be 6 ft. 4 in. above mean sea level.   This design meant that any hurricane greater that a Category 1 would cause the Fishing Hole Road to flood.

Mr. Speaker, the project was put out to Tender; however, it never proceeded as the government determined that it would not be in the best interest of the residents of Grand Bahama to construct a causeway that would be useless to users in Category 2 and above hurricanes.   Additionally, it was determined that the 18 ft. opening in the causeway would result in a net flow north, possibly leading to contamination of the northern waters of Hawksbill Creek.

Mr. Speaker, following the three devastating hurricanes that impacted Grand Bahama in 2004 and 2005, the technical officers of my Ministry revisited the project to seek a solution to the dilemma of the Fishing Hole Road Causeway.    However, in order to get a true understanding of the parameters affecting the design of a bridge and/or causeway it was determined that it would be necessary to construct and test a physical scale model of the Hawksbill Creek environs similar to what was done for the design of the Eleuthera Glass Window Causeway.

Mr. Speaker, it is important that the solution arrived at be able to withstand the passage of a Category 5 Hurricane and at the same time not cause adverse environmental impacts in Hawksbill Creek.

Mr. Speaker, the proposed study of the Fishing Hole Road Causeway and its environs includes the gathering of data to develop the optimum design critical for Phase 2 of the study, the construction of a Physical (Scale) Model.    Using the Physical Model, the existing conditions and the recommended design solution will be tested and observed before commencement of final design.

Mr. Speaker, Physical Models are a proven technique that enable engineers to develop the optimum design solution, with costs, for complex situations. The Physical Model is deemed an essential component of the design solution for the Fishing Hole Road Causeway.    Along with technical officers from my Ministry, I met with the residents of West Grand Bahama at a Town Meeting in February of this year where details of previous studies were revealed and a promise given to cause a physical model to be constructed and tested.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank all the residents who attended the Town Meeting and made valuable contributions based on their own experiences and plain old-fashioned common sense.

Mr. Speaker, the Government has approved the engagement of the consulting firm, W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineers (Baird), to undertake the Study, Physical Modeling and Design for the optimum solution at the Fishing Hole Road Causeway and its environs of Hawksbill Creek and Queen’s Cove.

This consulting engineering firm has an excellent track record in the Bahamas, in both the private and public sector.    The firm was previously engaged to undertake the Physical and Numerical Model Investigations of the Glass Window Bridge Causeway Project in the island of Eleuthera and a contract will be signed later today for Baird to complete the design of the causeway.

Technical Officers from my Ministry have also visited the Fishing Hole Road site with representatives of Baird.   The scope of the work on the Design Model covers the following:
• Determine the performance of the Causeway at Fishing Hole Road under normal to extreme environmental conditions, and to determine the subsequent impact on the settlement of Queen’s Cove;

• Determine the impact of the presence of the Freeport Harbour at the southern mouth of the Hawksbill Creek on the Fishing Hole Road overtopping conditions;

• Assess the impact of providing an outfall from the Hawksbill Creek into the Freeport Harbour and on the berthed ships therein;

• Determine the cause and extent of pollutants in Hawksbill Creek and their impact on the environment in the creek;

• Determine the impact of the berm created by Bahama Rock on the communities of Freeport and West Grand Bahama during flood conditions.

The cost of the first Phase of the Coastal Study and Preliminary Design for the viable solution to the challenges facing the Fishing Hole Road and its environs is $248,040.00.  This was assessed against previous proposals for similar projects and deemed reasonable. It is anticipated that Phase 1 will be completed within four months.  The second Phase, which is the construction of the physical model and the testing of various scenarios, cannot be costed until the data gathered in Phase 1 is analyzed and an optimum design solution arrived at.

Mr. Speaker I would be remiss if I fail to express thanks and gratitude to Senator Caleb Outten who has led for years and continues to lead the fight to resolve the challenges of the Fishing Hole Road and the flooding at Queens Cove.  Senator Outten’s passion to find and implement the solution to this vexing problem remains very high on his agenda.  He has almost single-handedly kept my feet to the fire on this issue.
Mr. Speaker, the reality is there are some problems created by man are not easy to correct as have been demonstrated by the inability of a cadre of engineering consultants over the past years to so do. My advisors strongly believe that the action we are about to take is the right and proper one.