St. Charles Parish - File #: 2004-0299

• File #: 2004-0299
• Version: 3
• Name: Require the use of the North American Vertical Datum of 1988
• Type: Ordinance
• Status: Enacted
• File created: 8/2/2004
• In control: Parish Council
• Final action: 9/7/2004
• Enactment date: 9/7/2004
• Enactment #: 04-9-9
• Title: An ordinance to require the use of the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) in place of the now defunct National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) in all surveys and drawings for elevation references and benchmarks in St. Charles Parish effective January 1, 2005. The transition period until the end of the year 2004 may utilize both datum, where possible, in all surveys and drawings.
• Sponsors: 'Ram' Ramchandran
• Indexes: Em. Prep. (Dept. of), Floods, Highway Dept. (U.S.61-Airline), Public Works (Dept. of)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
9/8/2004	3	Parish President	Approved by the Par. Pres.
9/7/2004	2	Parish Council	Removed from the Table	Pass
9/7/2004	2	Parish Council	Amended	Pass
9/7/2004	3	Parish Council	Public Hearing Requirements Satisfied
9/7/2004	3	Parish Council	Approved	Pass
8/16/2004	1	Parish Council	Motion	Pass
8/16/2004	1	Parish Council	Amended	Pass
8/16/2004	2	Parish Council	Public Hearing Requirements Satisfied
8/16/2004	2	Parish Council	Tabled.	Pass
8/16/2004	2	Parish Council	Motion	Pass
8/16/2004	2	Parish Council	Reconsidered	Pass
8/16/2004	2	Parish Council	Tabled.	Pass
8/2/2004	1	Council Member(s)	Introduced
8/2/2004	1	Parish Council	Publish/Scheduled for Public Hearing

2004-0299
INTRODUCED BY: 'RAM' RAMCHANDRAN, COUNCILMAN, DISTRICT III
ORDINANCE NO.
Title
An ordinance to require the use of the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88) in place of the now defunct National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) in all surveys and drawings for elevation references and benchmarks in St. Charles Parish effective January 1, 2005. The transition period until the end of the year 2004 may utilize both datum, where possible, in all surveys and drawings.
Body
WHEREAS, the historical standard used in the United States of America for elevation reference was NGVD29; and,
WHEREAS, NGVD29 has been replaced with NAVD88 as the official vertical datum for the United States of America by the National Geodetic Survey/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NGS/NOAA); and,
WHEREAS, federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), have changed their elevation reference to NAVD88 in Louisiana, including St. Charles Parish, for all federal projects, they still use Mean Low Gulf and The Low Water Reference Plane on their navigation projects as authorized by congress. These projects are controlled based on the vessel's keel clearances which are influenced by water levels and hence the projects are tied to water levels; and,
WHEREAS, the COE has been referencing their projects to the CORS sites (NAVD88) for the past year and a half. This has enabled them to more accurately measure the relativity of one project to another. They also have plans to compute the relationship between Mean Low Water and NAVD88 at many of the gauges they have for their navigation projects. Their goal is to have every project referenced to NAVD88 as new work is required; and,
WHEREAS, NGS/NOAA stated in a 2001 report to Congress that the vertical control reference system in Louisiana is obsolete and inaccurate; and,
WHEREAS, NGS/NOAA and the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center at Louisiana State University (LSRC/LSU) ha...