Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 11, 2016
Bonnet Carre Spillway opens Sunday to praise, warnings
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 10, 2016.
*features Steve Cochran, Environmental Defense Fund
“Cranes atop the weir separating the Mississippi River from the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco began pulling long creosoted timber “needles” from the first of 350 bays at about 10:45 a.m. Sunday (Jan. 10), part of a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to reduce the river’s flow as it moves past New Orleans by directing part of its water into Lake Pontchartrain…” (read more)
‘It’s an engineering miracle’: Bonnet Carre Spillway opens Sunday, the earliest opening in its 85-year history
By Katy Reckdahl, The New Orleans Advocate. Jan. 10, 2016.
*features John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
“Hundreds of people clad in caps and heavy coats gathered at the massive Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish on Sunday morning to watch as it was opened for the first time in four years…” (read more)
New Orleans Prepares For Mississippi River Flooding
By Tegan Wendland, WWNO. Jan. 9, 2016.
*features John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
“All eyes in Louisiana are on the Mississippi River. Floods that swept the Midwest are headed south, and that will test the levee system in Louisiana. Tegan Wendland at member station WWNO reports that the Army Corps of Engineers has amped up its flood-fighting efforts to protect the city of New Orleans…” (read more)
What the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening means for Lake Pontchartrain
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 8, 2016.
*features David Muth, National Wildlife Federation
“The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway at 10 a.m. Sunday by the Army Corps of Engineers will kick off a variety of efforts to track the environmental effects of nutrient-rich Mississippi River water that will flow into Lake Pontchartrain, freshening both the lake, and adjacent Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound…” (read more)
Corps of Engineers opens Bonnet Carre Spillway Sunday in response to early flood conditions
By Katy Reckdahl, The New Orleans Advocate. Jan. 10, 2016.
“On Sunday morning, crowds gathered at the massive Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish to watch its official opening. Two cranes moved along the railway tracks that top the flood-control structure and removed some of the structure’s 7,000 wooden “needles,” allowing water from the swollen Mississippi River to bypass New Orleans…” (read more)
Mississippi River Flooding: Louisiana’s Bonnet Carre Spillway Opened
By Sean Breslin, The Weather Channel. Jan. 10, 2016.
“Due to trillions of gallons of water flowing down the Mississippi River from historic flooding in Missouri and surrounding states, officials in Louisiana decided to open a spillway to keep that water from pouring into parts of New Orleans…” (read more)
History behind Bonnet Carré Spillway, look back at when it has opened
By Margaret Orr, WDSU News. Jan. 10, 2016.
“NEW ORLEANS —The Mississippi River at the Carrollton gage is 16.18 feet Sunday morning. It will hit 17 feet Monday, and will remain at that stage for a while — and that is with the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway…” (read more)
Bonnet Carre spillway is opened to help protect New Orleans
By The Associated Press. Jan. 10, 2016.
“NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday opened the Bonnet Carre (BAH-nee KAR-ee) Spillway for the first time in nearly five years, diverting water into Lake Pontchartrain to decrease the flow of the swollen Mississippi River near New Orleans…” (read more)
As the river water recedes, calls for new approaches rise
By Stephen Deere and Jacob Barker, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Jan. 10, 2016.
“‘They said it would never flood again,’ she said. But three days of pounding rain last month exposed the dubious nature of making such promises amid changing weather patterns, urban sprawl and new levees… (read more)
Hunters prepare for possible opening of the Morganza Spillway
By Kevin Frey, KSLA News. Jan. 10, 2016.
“Hunters in the Morganza Spillway are preparing for the possible flooding that would occur if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made the spillway structure operational…” (read more)
Bonnet Carre slated to open Sunday; Morganza on hold
By Joe Macaluso, The New Orleans Advocate. Jan. 9, 2016.
“With water levels in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers reaching record January levels, the Corps of Engineers announced a planned Sunday opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, but its plans to pull the pins on the Morganza Floodway’s bays remained uncertain as of Saturday afternoon…” (read more).
Louisiana National Guard building levees to protect Morgan City, patrolling other areas
By Juan Sanchez, WDSU News. Jan. 9, 2016.
“MORGAN CITY, La. —To help prevent backwater flooding from reaching Morgan City, the Louisiana National Guard is building more than two miles of levees on Avoca Island…” (read more).
Mississippi River flood forecast: south Louisiana residents hoping for the best, preparing for the worst
By Richard Burgess and Amy Wold, The Advocate. Jan. 8, 2016.
“As the slug of water from upriver rains late last year continues to travel down the Mississippi River, people in south Louisiana are getting sandbags in place, cleaning out their camps and generally getting ready for the possibility that the Morganza Spillway could be opened early next week…” (read more)