Spillway of swollen Mississippi River open near New Orleans

The Corps did announce that river levels would force the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Sunday, channeling the high water in the MS into Lake Pontchartrain to relieve pressure on the levees in New Orleans.

The Bonnet Carre is opened if water is flowing at 1.25 million cubic feet per second – enough to fill the Superdome in a minute and 40 seconds. “We’ve got to watch this very closely and understand what’s happening with the Mississippi River system to make sure that we don’t flood these communities down here”, says Graves. That’s how the Corps regulates water flow – the more excess water that needs to be diverted, the more bays they open.

If that lower trend continues, there’s a chance that the corps might not have to open the Morganza Floodway, which moves part of the flow of the river into the Atchafalaya River basin and floodway.

This will be the 11th time the spillway has been opened, with the last time being during the historic flood of 2011.

The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission voted Thursday to close deer hunting season in areas affected by the Morganza and Bonnet Carre spillways should either or both be opened because of flooding of the Mississippi River.

Typically, river levels rise in the spring, after the snow melts in the Midwest. And in 1950, it was opened on February 10. The opening of that spillway could effect if and when the Morganza Spillway will be opened.

No final decision has been made about using the Morganza Spillway, which is located upriver from Baton Rouge. Maj.

It’s also the earliest opening in the history of the Spillway.

That water is now on its way to New Orleans, where the river’s crest is expected to arrive around January 21. Until the high-water subsides, any construction projects within 1,500 feet of the river are shut down.