Nola District Suspends Flood-Fight Operations

After 79 days, water levels along the Lower Mississippi River have dropped below 11 feet at the Carrollton Gage, prompting the New Orleans Engineer District to suspend current flood-fight operations.

The district said in the June 2 announcement that it will continue to monitor conditions and forecasts across the Mississippi Valley, as the high-water season runs through June, and will resume flood-fight procedures if necessary.

The Corps activated Phase I flood fight as a proactive measure March 11, when the Mississippi River rose above 11 feet at the Carrollton Gage. The levee patrols associated with Phase I activation help ensure the Corps and the local levee authorities can respond quickly to problem areas that may develop along the levee system due to the elevated water levels.

Included in the flood fight is the restriction of certain construction activities within 1,500 feet of the Mississippi River levees; now that the river is below 11 feet at the Carrollton Gage these restrictions are lifted. Permit holders and residents are advised to contact their local levee districts for detailed information regarding their projects.

Throughout the high-water event the Corps of Engineers worked closely with federal, state and local partners to coordinate efforts and conduct inspections of the entire river levee system to ensure it would perform as designed and safely pass the high water.

The Corps will continue to work with the state and local levee boards during post-flood inspections while beginning work to reset and restore the levee system on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.