The Corps’ Mississippi Valley New Orleans (MVN) completed the closure of the Bonnet Carré Spillway structure by noon yesterday, Saturday, July 27, 2019. 

 

This second opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway in 2019 lasted 79 days, the longest single opening of the flood control structure eclipsing the previous record of
75 days required in response to the Flood of 1973.  The first opening of the Spillway in 2019 lasted a total of 44 days from February 27, 2019 to April 11, 2019, in total the flood control structure was operated 123 days during the Great Flood of 2019.

 

Prior to this flood event the Spillway had never been operated in back-to-back years (2018 and 2019) much less twice in the same year, another historic first set by the Great Flood of 2019.

 

The maximum flow above the Bonnet Carré Spillway (Mile 128.8 to 127.3 Above Head of Passes [AHP]) today was approximately 970,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) based on the flow measured at Red River Landing (Mile 302.4 AHP), with the calculations and timing adjusted for the downriver flow at Bonnet Carré.  The most recent crest (maximum flow) above the Bonnet Carré occurred between June 16 to June 17 (2019) with a maximum discharge through the Bonnet Carré Spillway of 161,000 cfs.

 

BONNET CARRÉ SPILLWAY SECOND OPERATION 2019 CLOSURE OPERATIONS 

DATE CARROLTON GAUGE (NEW ORLEANS) NUMBER OF BAYS OPEN NUMBER OF BAYS CLOSED NUMBER OF BAYSREMAINING OPEN SPILLWAY DISCHARGE CUBIC FEET PER SECOND (cfs)
7/22/19 15.60 feet 168 10 158 72,000 cfs
7/23/19 15.35 feet 158 22 136 57,000 cfs
7/24/19 15.42 feet 136 42 94 40,000 cfs
7/25/19 15.40 feet 94 30 64 25,000 cfs
7/26/19 15.25 feet 64 38 26 15,000 cfs
7/27/19 15.10 feet 26 26 0 4,500 cfs (needle seepage)

                                                                                

BONNET CARRÉ SPILLWAY SECOND OPERATION 2019 OPENING OPERATIONS

DATE CARROLTON GAUGE (NEW ORLEANS) BAYS OPENED TODAY TOTAL NUMBER OF BAYS OPEN SPILLWAY DISCHARGE CUBIC FEET PER SECOND (cfs)
5/10/19 17.25 feet 60 60 79,000 cfs
5/11/19 16.80 feet 10 70 83,000 cfs
5/12/19 16.80 feet 0 70 86,000 cfs
5/13/19 17.00 feet 58 128 116,000 cfs
5/14/19 16.75 feet 10 138 127,000 cfs
5/15/19 16.70 feet 0 138 122,000 cfs
5/16/19 16.60 feet 0 138 124,000 cfs
5/17/19 16.60 feet 0 138 127,000 cfs
5/18/19 16.80 feet 0 138 142,000 cfs
5/19/19 16.90 feet 10 148 148,000 cfs
5/20/19 16.80 feet 0 148 161,000 cfs
5/21/19 16.80 feet 20 168 161,000 cfs
5/22/19 16.80 feet 0 168 158,000 cfs
5/23/19 16.80 feet 0 168 155,000 cfs
5/24/19 16.70 feet 0 168 158,000 cfs
5/25/19 16.70 feet 0 168 158,000 cfs
5/26/19 16.60 feet 0 168 159,000 cfs
5/27/19 16.60 feet 0 168 158,000 cfs
5/28/19 16.60 feet 0 168 157,000 cfs
5/29/19 16.60 feet 0 168 149,000 cfs
5/30/19 16.60 feet 0 168 145,000 cfs
5/31/19 16.50 feet 0 168 141,000 cfs
6/1/19 16.50 feet 0 168 143,000 cfs
6/2/19 16.50 feet 0 168 135,000 cfs
6/3/19 16.50 feet 0 168 140,000 cfs
6/4/19 16.40 feet 0 168 138,000 cfs
6/5/19 16.40 feet 0 168 136,000 cfs
6/6/19 16.50 feet 0 168 138,000 cfs
6/7/19 16.60 feet 0 168 138,000 cfs
6/8/19 16.60 feet 0 168 144,000 cfs
6/9/19 16.50 feet 0 168 146,000 cfs
6/10/19 16.60 feet 0 168 146,000 cfs
6/11/19 16.60 feet 0 168 147,000 cfs
6/12/19 16.60 feet 0 168 147,000 cfs
6/13/19 16.60 feet 0 168 144,000 cfs
6/14/19 16.60 feet 0 168 147,000 cfs
6/15/19 16.60 feet 0 168 150,000 cfs
6/16/19 16.50 feet 0 168 146,000 cfs
6/17/19 16.70 feet 0 168 147,000 cfs
6/18/19 16.60 feet 0 168 142,000 cfs
6/19/19 16.50 feet 0 168 137,000 cfs
6/20/19 16.40 feet 0 168 131,000 cfs
6/21/19 16.40 feet 0 168 130,000 cfs
6/22/19 16.35 feet 0 168 124,000 cfs
6/23/19 16.20 feet 0 168 115,000 cfs
6/24/19 16.10 feet 0 168 116,000 cfs
6/25/19 16.10 feet 0 168 110,000 cfs
6/26/19 16.10 feet 0 168 108,000 cfs
6/27/19 16.00 feet 0 168 108,000 cfs
6/28/19 15.95 feet 0 168 106,000 cfs
6/29/19 15.95 feet 0 168 106,000 cfs
6/30/19 15.95 feet 0 168 106,000 cfs
7/1/19 15.95 feet 0 168 110,000 cfs
7/2/19 15.95 feet 0 168 108,000 cfs
7/3/19 15.95 feet 0 168 104,000 cfs
7/4/19 15.95 feet 0 168 103,000 cfs
7/5/19 15.95 feet 0 168 102,000 cfs
7/6/19 15.95 feet 0 168 106,000 cfs
7/7/19 15.95 feet 0 168 109,000 cfs
7/8/19 15.95 feet 0 168 112,000 cfs
7/9/19 15.95 feet 0 168 108,000 cfs
7/10/19 15.95 feet 0 168 110,000 cfs
7/11/19 16.10 feet 0 168 117,000 cfs
7/12/19 16.90 feet 0 168 131,000 cfs
7/13/19 16.90 feet 0 168 133,000 cfs
7/14/19 16.90 feet 0 168 117,000 cfs
7/15/19 16.20 feet 0 168 111,000 cfs
7/16/19 16.10 feet 0 168 106,000 cfs
7/17/19 16.10 feet 0 168 103,000 cfs
7/18/19 16.00 feet 0 168 103,000 cfs
7/19/19 16.10 feet 0 168 103,000 cfs
7/20/19 15.90 feet 0 168 103,000 cfs
7/21/19 15.78 feet 0 168 82,000 cfs

The MVN manages the opening and closing of bays on the Bonnet Carré Spillway as a flood control structure to ensure the maximum flow at New Orleans remains at/or below the trigger point flow of 1.25 million cfs in accordance with the approved Bonnet Carré Spillway Water Control Manual.