CoE starting to close La. spillway

The Bonnet Carré Spillway e in Louisiana, used to keep the Mississippi River below 17 feet above sea level at the Carrollton Gauge in New Orleans, could be completely closed by the upcoming weekend – weather permitting. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said it will begin to close 10 of the 168 open bays starting July 22, according to a CoE media release. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority tweeted that the CoE plans to have the spillway totally closed by the weekend. The Bonnet Carre has been open for 118 days, the longest in its history. When it’s closed, it will take some 10 days to completely stop pumping fresh water into the Mississippi Sound, Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Joe Spraggins told the Sun Herald. The spillway opening has hurt the Gulf Coast’s seafood industry because fresh water threatens coastal ecosystems that thrive in salt water. The CoE has sole authority to open/close the spillway. “The state of Mississippi wants a seat at the table when these decisions are made,” Spraggins told the Sun Herald. “We want the Corps and the state of Louisiana to consider the environmental and economic impacts on the state of Mississippi.” The Mississippi River also brings blue-green alga as a result of the spillway opening, which has closed all of Mississippi’s beach. Spraggins said the state will feel the effects of algae bloom until mid-fall, but once it dies off and decomposes it will deplete oxygen from the water, and possibility set up a major fish kill. (Source: Sun Herald 07/22/19)