NEW ORLEANS – As a result of continued heavy rain in the Arkansas, Upper Mississippi, and Ohio River Valleys, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is closely monitoring rising river flows to determine if the Bonnet Carré Spillway may require opening in the coming weeks.

Weather conditions upriver are being constantly monitored to assess impacts on the safety of the New Orleans area. Advance preparations are taking place in the event of a spillway opening.

The decision to open Bonnet Carré is the responsibility of the Mississippi River Commission President Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, MS.

The spillway is only operated to minimize risk from high water. Operation of the structure relieves pressure on local levees, lowers river stages, and reduces the velocity of the river current below New Orleans.

The spillway is designed to operate when river flows reach a level of 1.25 million cubic feet per second and are forecast to continue rising.

The spillway remains open until the risks associated with the high water are diminished. Based on current forecasts, a decision may be made in the next two weeks.

In view of the forecast Mississippi River stages and flows, it is now necessary that all removable equipment, including sand hauling and excavating equipment, be removed from the spillway and that all immovable property be protected.

If the spillway is opened, all businesses and recreational activities in the spillway will be suspended.

Bonnet Carré is located 28 miles above New Orleans on the east bank of the river in St. Charles Parish. It can divert a portion of the river’s floodwaters through Lake Pontchartrain into the Gulf of Mexico, thus allowing high water to bypass New Orleans and other nearby river communities.

The structure has a design capacity of 250,000 cfs.

Bonnet Carré was first opened during the flood of 1937; since then it has operated seven other times during high water in 1945, 1950, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1997.

During 1997, the peak Mississippi River flow above the structure was measured at 1.48 million cfs, and the maximum flow through the structure was 243,000.