Watching the water from the Mississippi River flow through the Bonnet Carre Control Structure gave me a new meaning to the “power of water”. On the River side of the structure the water is calm yet coming out of the structure it looks like a fire hose on steroids.
Following the 1927 flood which was the greatest Louisiana disaster until Hurricane Katrina, the Bonnet Carre Spillway Control Structure was authorized to help protect the lower Mississippi River area, especially New Orleans. The structure opened in 1937
just in time for record floodwaters coming down the Mississippi. When the Carrollton Gauge, in New Orleans, registered 20 feet in January 1937, the spillway opened for the first time. The spillway is opened every four to five years to divert water from the New Orleans area. The last time the bays were opened was April 2008.
By all accounts, the 2011 floodwater heading down the Mississippi will be as bad, or worse than 1937. To protect the New Orleans area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began
pulling pins on May 9, 2011 and I viewed the structure on May 10, 2011. On May 9th, 28 of 350 bays were open with an additional 44 bays opened on May 10th. The Corps Member I spoke with said it is his understanding that all bays would be opened. Each bay is made up of “needles” which look like railroad ties and have a large leather strap by which they are pulled. By lifting the needles, the bays open and allow River water to flow through the spillway to Lake Pontchartrain. Once through the bays the water travels six miles to reach the lake.
When the spillway is not flooded, it is a recreation area. The River Road passes through the spillway and I have driven it many times. Today all I could see were the utility poles that border the highway. On Sunday, May 8th, Mother’s Day, there were families picnicking were water is now flowing. Today instead of picnickers, there were
fishermen hoping to catch the “big one”. I was told there was a huge catfish caught; unfortunately I did not see the sight.
I have lived by the “Mighty Mississippi” all my life, and most of the year it moves slowly by. It is very peaceful to sit and watch the River flowing on its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, I watched in awe as the water passed through the bays of the Bonnet Carre Control Structure.