By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – After allowing water from the Mississippi River to flow freely into Lake Pontchartrain for more than 40 days, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed the last open bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway last week and the focus now turns to assessing the damage caused by the influx of water.

Between May 9 and June 20, as many as 330 of the spillways 350 bays were open, allowing as much as 316,000 cubic feet of water per second to flow through the area and into the lake. The figures are roughly twice as much as in 2008, when 160 of the bays were open and pumping about 160,000 cfs for a little less than a month.

Spillway Project Manager Christopher Brantley said now that the water has been cut off, various recreational areas that line the spillway floor between the river and the lake have begun to dry out, adding that many areas are actually drying out faster than in 2008. He said the damage to trails, roads and recreational areas is comparable to 2008, but slightly worse since the flood control structure was open longer this time.

“Many of the roads are actually in better shape than we thought, but there is still a great deal of debris,” Brantley said. “Recreational spots that the corps controls are open, but there are still some safety restrictions.”

Brantley said the boat launches are open and getting extensive use from crawfishers and other anglers looking to cash in on an abundant crop, but all terrain vehicle trails, bike trails and the model airplane area are all still closed to the public because of water and the possibility of dangerous wildlife in those areas. He said the corps is working to get those areas open by the July 4 weekend.

Brantley said the corps has begun issuing one-month special use permits to allow ATVs for fishing access but noted residents must use caution in those areas. He said helmets, flotation devices and other safety gear is mandatory.

“Vehicles are still not permitted on levees on in recreation areas controlled by St. Charles Parish,” Brantley said. “Joy riding is not allowed at this time.”

As was the case in 2008, the Spillway Road, which fills a gap in the River Road between Norco and Montz, suffered severe damage in multiple areas.

St. Charles spokesperson Renee Simpson said the force of the water eroded entire sections of the road near where a series of culvert crossings were recently installed. She said 70- to 80-foot sections of the road near the culverts are completely gone.

Simpson said the parish is still assessing the damage to the road, which is used by many residents and several school buses as an alternate to Airline Highway.

She said there is still no dollar amount estimate as far as damage and added there is currently no money in the parish budget for repairs to the road. The parish is hopeful that as much as 75 percent of the cost of repairs can be paid through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.