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Morganza Spillway question?

Posted on 3/26/23 at 10:26 pm
Posted by MrBobDobalina
BRo.LA
Member since Oct 2011
3371 posts
Posted on 3/26/23 at 10:26 pm
This is probably a dumb question but why would the ACOE not just keep 1 lock open in Morganza anytime the river gets into the Spillway past the "potato levee"?

Why do they have to wait until near catastrophic flooding is incoming before they open 2 locks halfway?
This post was edited on 3/26/23 at 10:27 pm
Posted by John_V
SELA
Member since Oct 2018
2030 posts
Posted on 3/26/23 at 10:41 pm to
quote:

Water from the inflated Mississippi River gushed through a floodgate Saturday for the first time in nearly four decades and headed toward thousands of homes and farmland in the Cajun countryside, threatening to slowly submerge the land under water up to 25 feet deep.

As the gate was raised Saturday afternoon, the river poured out like a waterfall, at times spraying 6 feet into the air. Fish jumped or were hurled through the white froth and within 30 minutes, 100 acres of what was dry land was under about a foot of water.

About 25,000 people and 11,000 structures could be affected by the oncoming water.


You got me curious so I found this
LINK
This post was edited on 3/26/23 at 10:42 pm
Posted by SwampAssassin
Member since Mar 2020
51 posts
Posted on 3/26/23 at 11:07 pm to
Always heard that because of its age the Morganza Spillway is the last resort because if the ACOE is unable to close it then the Mississippi could/would change course and go into the Atchafalaya.

I remember around 2012, the ACOE was having a hard time closing up the spillway and started dropping large boulders in an attempt to reduce the water flow. Well when the river finally went down some more they were able to get the spillway closed and found the boulders had been swept several hundred yards away from where they had been dropped.
Posted by MrBobDobalina
BRo.LA
Member since Oct 2011
3371 posts
Posted on 3/27/23 at 12:25 am to
My thing is, you built your livelihood in a known spillway. I don't feel any sympathy for whatever is in between the levees from morganza to Morgan city. Maybe the idea is that MC would be underwater? Just seems like it would be a great relief valve for the river year round.
Posted by MrBobDobalina
BRo.LA
Member since Oct 2011
3371 posts
Posted on 3/27/23 at 12:27 am to
I guess that's more plausible, in my head once the water levels dropped below the "potato levee" normal flow would resume and the Spillway would be cutoff but if the potato levee was to be eroded away...maybe that's why they're hesitant.
Posted by MrBobDobalina
BRo.LA
Member since Oct 2011
3371 posts
Posted on 3/27/23 at 12:32 am to
We have a camp at Old River that I'm sick of not being able to use for more than a month out of the year and besides damning the narrows, I don't know what can be done about it. The water would still probably creep across raccourci Island at major flood stage so that would only help with moderate flood stage.
This post was edited on 3/27/23 at 12:33 am
Posted by John_V
SELA
Member since Oct 2018
2030 posts
Posted on 3/27/23 at 1:00 am to
I agree 110%, but no wonder home insurance companies are bailing like rats from a sinking ship in this state. 10k "homes" being washed away plus the yearly hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes make this state almost unprofitable for insurances.
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