NEW ORLEANS — Could the Bonnet Carré Spillway be opened for the second time in a single year? It seems the answer to that is a definite maybe.
The Bonnet Carré Spillway, is opened to relieve stress on levees protecting New Orleans when the Mississippi is flowing at 1.25 million cubic feet per second — fast enough to fill the Superdome in less than two minutes.
The spillway was opened earlier this year because of heavy rain from the Mississippi River and Ohio River valleys. The river's water levels reached a point where the Corps said it could put stress on New Orleans-area flood walls. It was closed on April 11.
According to Matt Roe of the Army Corps of Engineers, the river is getting closer to the trigger point that would require opening the spillway.
“We are closely monitoring the forecast and conditions across the Mississippi Valley for any changes,” he said.
The National Weather Service says the river's expected to reach 16.9 feet on May 11 at a New Orleans gauge where 17 feet generally corresponds with a spillway opening.