While officials are monitoring flood conditions along the Mississippi River, the water levels are not expected to rival last year’s record-setting flood fight.
As the Center Square reports, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not expect to open the Bonnet Carré or Morganza spillways this year, Col. Stephen Murphy told the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority last week. The Mississippi River is expected to crest in early March, he says.
The Corps opened the Bonnet Carré twice last year and faces lawsuits from plaintiffs claiming harm caused by the influx of river water. While Murphy did not discuss the lawsuits, he says the Corps is working to improve its communication with communities that could be affected by future spillway operations.
“I would just ask the Corps to continue to look for ways in which you can manage that river differently,” says Chip Kline, CPRA’s chairman.
Kline mentioned that Congress was considering new guidelines. Murphy says the operation of the Bonnet Carré spillway has attracted attention at the highest levels of the Corps.
“We are looking very hard at the system,” Murphy says. “Not just Bonnet Carré, not just Morganza, but the entire system up and down the river.” Read the full story.
