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NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District began the closing process at Bonnet Carré Spillway on Monday.

The Army Corps will continue to assess conditions of the Mississippi River and perform closure operations as the river flow rates continue to fall. In accordance with the state and federal guidelines in response to COVID-19 the Bonnet Carré Spillway is not open to the public.

The Spillway operation began April 3 with the opening of 10 bays. At the Mississippi River’s peak flow 90 bays were open on the structure with a discharge of 80,000 cubic feet per second being diverted through the spillway.

This marks the fourth time in three years that the Bonnet Carré Spillway has opened to relieve pressure from the Mississippi River. It was opened twice for a total of 123 days in 2019.