New Orleans spillway may have to be opened

[sunny]

www.nola.com

Tuesday, January 25, 2005
By Jenny Hurwitz
River Parishes bureau

With the Mississippi River levels riding higher than usual for January and expected to crest by the middle of next week, river authorities are keeping a close watch to determine if conditions will trigger a rare opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

But an opening of the spillway is not imminent, authorities said Monday.

The floodway between Norco and Montz, which prevents flooding in New Orleans by diverting water out of the river and into Lake Pontchartrain, was last opened in March 1997. The 1997 opening marked the eighth time the spillway, completed in 1931, had been pressed into service.

On Monday the river was at 14.6 feet at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans. Flood level there is 17 feet, but levees protect the city from water levels up to 20 feet. Forecasts predict the river will crest in New Orleans at 16 feet on Feb. 2, according to the National Weather Service.

"Luckily we didn't get any more rain in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys," said Jeff Graschel, a hydrometeorologist with the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center. All flooding conditions depend on rainfall and snowfall from those valleys upstream, he said.

As forecasts now stand, the Army Corps of Engineers does not have immediate plans to open the spillway, corps spokesman John Hall said.

But the water level is higher than usual, he said.

"This is an early river, a pretty good river," he said. "Every passing tow and ship is kicking up a lot of white water. It's a tougher job to get upstream."

The Coast Guard has issued a high-water advisory on the river in response to the water level and the current, which is potentially dangerous for marine vessels.

Vessels with lesser horsepower might have a hard time navigating because of the swifter current, said Lt. Bill Goetzee, the marine duty officer with the Coast Guard.

In addition to the river level, officials also closely monitor the current. A flow of 1.25 million cubic feet per second or more is one of the triggers for a spillway opening.

On Monday the river's current was flowing at 1.146 million cubic feet per second.

Opening the 7,600-acre spillway offers flood protection but also poses environmental risks for Lake Pontchartrain because of the phosphates and nitrates in the river.

The opening in 1997 prompted criticism from environmental groups who said the river water damaged the lake.

Though it's unknown if the spillway will be opened, the swelling river is already making an impact there. River water has begun pushing into the spillway, forcing authorities to close a ground-level road near the river, as well as the designated area for recreational riding of all-terrain vehicles.

Meanwhile, experts have not ruled out the possibility of flooding later in the year. The U.S. Geological Survey says the river will crest again in March and possibly again in May.

Despite these forecasts, Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, hopes to make it through the next few months without opening the spillway.

"We're keeping our fingers crossed," he said. "Unfortunately, this is going to depend on Mother Nature."

For information about the river stages, visit the corps' Web site: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/PAO/respo ... er2005.asp

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Jenny Hurwitz can be reached at (985) 652-0959 or

[cycloneye]

Important article for that area to read.What I hope is that a strong hurricane doesn't go to NO because it would be a big catastrofy as it is below sea level.

[sunny]

Without doubt. I will definitely keep a close eye on things!

[cycloneye]

Without doubt. I will definitely keep a close eye on things!

Do you live near a lake or inland?

[sunny]

Lake Pontchatrain in right here. I live about a mile from the river.

[cycloneye]

Lake Pontchatrain in right here. I live about a mile from the river.

Oh boy right in a place not so good if things get bad.

[sunny]

Lake Pontchatrain in right here. I live about a mile from the river.

Oh boy right in a place not so good if things get bad.

Exactly. That is another bad thing about New Orleans - Lake above us, Gulf below us, and that huge river that runs right though the middle of town.

I remember the last time they opened the spillway. You could see the water level on the levee. It was a sight.

[cycloneye]

You guys there haved been very lucky in the past decades as no strong hurricanes haved made landfall directly to NO.But I fear that the luck in the future will end there however the question is when.

[sunny]

We know our luck cannot hold out much longer. It is just a matter of "when". Each year the local channels do their "eye on the storm" series - trying to remind us of what could happen. Do they do this in PR also?

[cycloneye]

We know our luck cannot hold out much longer. It is just a matter of "when". Each year the local channels do their "eye on the storm" series - trying to remind us of what could happen. Do they do this in PR also?

Here we haved been strucked a lot by hurricanes and tropical storms the last one last year Jeanne.Every year before june 1 we have the awareness week with excibitions,Orientations about what to do in case a hurricane threats,Giving hurricane charts and even the hurricane Hunter crew comes every year to be on excibit.

[HurricaneBill]

I once heard someone say that New Orleans was built in probably the worst possible place to build a city.

I'm not trying to put the city down in any way. I'm sure it's a nice city, just very vulnerable.

[sunny]

No offense taken - you are speaking a fact. We are 10 feet below sea level here.

The talk of opening the spillway is gaining momentum. The river is high.

[weatherlover427]

Are you guys going to have to evacuate if this is the case?

[sunny]

Oh, no. The biggest concern is the wildlife. But they do try to get what they can out before it is opened. But we'll be fine. The last time, people were lined up watching when the spillway was opened. It was a little scary seeing the water rushing out.

[weatherlover427]

Well as long as you guys will be OK then that is ultimately what counts the most IMHO.

[sunny]

Thanks!

[weatherlover427]

Thanks!

No problem! I'll be hoping and wishing for the best for you.

[MGC]

If the spillway is opened, I would suggest viewing the event. For those of you whom have never witnessed the spillway in operation, it is an interesting sight. Once the river rises above a certain stage, some river water leaks throught the spillway without it being opened. A line of timbers hold back the majority of the river. When the corps decided to open the spillway, a railroad crane removes the timbers one by one. The number of timbers removed is used to control the amount of flow the spillway is to receive. Of course the enviormentalist don't want the spillway opened because the nitrogen rich waters of the Mississippi will cause alge blooms in Lake Pontchatrain........MGC

[sunny]

It is sounding more and more like the opening will happen. The river is running high.

[sunny]

River stage today:

RIVER STAGE FORECASTS (A)BV
STATION FS 7PM 12HR ....F O R E C A S T..... (B)LO
STG CHG 0128 0129 0130 0131 0201 CREST/DATE FS

NEW ORLEANS /17/ 15.0 -0.1 15.2 15.4 15.6 15.8 16.0 16.0 2/01A
/ /LEVEES PROTECT CITY OF NEW ORLEANS TO 20 FT STAGE.
END LMRFC

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/rva.shtml