The Mississippi River began receding Wednesday throughout Louisiana, and federal authorities began closing the Morganza Spillway as a result.
The Army Corps of Engineers announced Wednesday that it already had closed three of the open 17 open bays at the Spillway, which was opened May 14 to prevent the Mississippi from flooding New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The Corps estimated that as much as 1.2 million gallons of water had been pouring through the Spillway per second, which diverted the flow through the Atchafalaya River basin to the Gulf of Mexico, west of New Orleans.
The Atchafalaya has seen some flooding as a result of the diverted flow, though Corps spokesman Ken Holder said that water levels throughout "continue to be lower than anticipated" in a statement announcing the decision.
The Mississippi was holding at around four feet above flood stage Wednesday night at Bayou Sorrel and about seven feet over flood stage at Morgan City. However, it was more than five feet lower at the town of Krotz Springs and about two feet below flood stage at Butte LaRose, about 20 miles south of the spillway.
Aside from the stretches of farmland flooding when the Spillway was opened, the only major trouble that the Atchafalaya has seen started Thursday, when Louisiana authorities made the decision to half boat traffic down a four-mile stretch of the basin around the town of Butte LaRose. Rising water levels had caused the surface of the river to climb within seven feet of high-voltage power lines, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced.
The 125-bay Spillway was last opened during a 1973 flood.
