For the first time in 11 years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open the Bonnet Carre Spillway today. Heavy rains in the Mississippi River Valley have raised the water level in the river high enough to prompt the Corps to open the spillway.
Opening the spillway, located almost 33 miles upriver from New Orleans, will divert river water to Lake Pontchartrain, taking stress off of levees down river. The Corps expects the spillway to remain open for 2-4 weeks.
Here's a map of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, pointing out the location of the flood control structure and the floodway:
Some facts about the control structure from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
- The spillway control structure is 32.8 miles upriver from New Orleans.
- It is 7,000 feet long.
- There are 350 bays, each 20 feet long.
- There are 20 timbers per bay – 7,000 in all.
- The spillway has been opened eight times before today: 1937, 1945, 1950, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1983, and 1997.
- 250,000 cubic feet of water can flow through the spillway per second.
Facts about the floodway from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
- The floodway covers 7,623 acres.
- It is 5.7 miles long from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain.
- The spillway width at the river is 7,700 feet.
- At Lake Pontchartrain, the spillway is 12,400 feet wide.