St. John declares State of Emergency due to Mississippi River’s rising
Published 3:52 pm Friday, January 8, 2016
LAPLACE — St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom declared a State of Emergency for the Parish — a precautionary measure that allows parish officials to access all necessary resources available should they be needed.
As of Friday afternoon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday. Plans to open the Morganza Spillway are still in discussion.
Top Administrative staff and the Emergency Preparedness Office are in daily communications with the Corps, Pontchartrain Levee District and Lafourche Basin Levee District monitoring the river water levels.
As of Friday afternoon, the river gauge in the Mississippi River at Reserve indicated a water level of 21.64 feet. Currently, there is no structural flooding within the levee system and no flooding in residential areas.
The National Weather Service’s contingency forecast is for the river to crest Tuesday at 24 feet in Reserve.
Levee inspection teams from the Pontchartrain Levee District and the Lafourche Basin Levee District are patrolling the levees looking for deficiencies, seepage and prohibited digging within 1,500 feet of the levees. Unauthorized vehicles are prohibited on the levees.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Restrictions:
- No digging activity and/or subsurface work of any kind is allowed within 1,500 feet of the levee centerline. This includes, but is not limited to pile driving, excavation and trenching.
- Driving on the river levees is prohibited.
- Biking and walking on the levee are discouraged at this time due to safety concerns.
Due to the rising level of the Mississippi River the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be opening the Bonnet Carré Spillway Sunday.
The Corps is opening the Spillway to keep the volume of the Mississippi River flows at New Orleans from exceeding 1.25 million cubic feet per second.
Maj. Gen. Michael C. Wehr, commander of the Corps’ Mississippi Valley Division in Vicksburg, Miss., made the decision to open the Spillway.
Operation of the structure will relieve pressure on main line levees, maintain river stages and regulate the flow of the river from the Spillway southward.
The Spillway will be opened at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday, and those wishing to view the opening can do so from the Project Office at 16302 River Road in Norco. Drones and other unmanned aerial systems are not permitted for flight during the opening.
The Spillway may be open for several weeks.
The Corps has a detailed environmental monitoring plan in place that will assess water quality, dissolved oxygen, sedimentation, recreation and natural resources such as the pallid sturgeon within the Spillway and Lake Pontchartrain.
All public access area within the Spillway, including the public boat launches, Lower Guide Levee Road, and the St. Charles Parish Recreation Area near U.S. 61 will be closed beginning Sunday until further notice. There is also no digging or subsurface work of any kind within 1,500 feet of the levee centerline. This includes but is not limited to pile driving, excavation and trenching. Unauthorized vehicles on the levee are prohibited.