Spillway of swollen Mississippi River open near New Orleans

There was a higher river crest projection, but the high water came during a drought in the basin.

The public is encouraged to monitor the spillway openings this week and weekend prior to planning deer hunting in these areas.

“As the water above Bonnet Carre rises, we’ll open gates to match it, so we’re diverting that amount, so the water in New Orleans stays even”, Army Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett said. Officials throughout Thursday said no final decision had been made whether or when to open the flood-control structure that diverts water from the MS into the Atchafalaya River, but Hansen, during a night meeting in St. Martin Parish, said it could happen as early as Tuesday. The opening will help keep the volume of Mississippi River flows at New Orleans from exceeding 1.25 million cubic feet per second – enough to fill the Superdome in a minute and 40 seconds. “Obviously, the water is rising and also that both the parish boat launches in the Bonnet Carre Spillway are also closed”.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday opened the Bonnet Carre (BAH-nee KAR-ee) Spillway for the first time in almost five years, diverting water into Lake Pontchartrain to decrease the flow of the swollen Mississippi River near New Orleans.

You’ll notice that the 2011 footage of the Morganza Spillway only showed a few bays open, rather than the whole thing, while Bonnet Carre had lots of bays open.

As the gates were opened, biologists and workers in airboats were monitoring the environmental effects and the debris entering the spillway.

This is the earliest the spillway’s ever been opened.

Normally, wild river crawfish aren’t caught until March, but the flooding could give commercial fishermen an early start. The opening of that spillway could effect if and when the Morganza Spillway will be opened.

Areas east of Morgan City, such as Amelia and Gibson, could see roughly 0-2 feet of flooding with or without the Morganza Spillway opening, Stack said.