Bonnet Carre Spillway Starting To Close

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Thirty bays of the Bonnet Carre spillway north of New Orleans are being closed as flood levels drop. The spillway was opened last month as the Mississippi threatened New Orleans, where water measured 17 feet along the 20-foot levees. The river was diverted through the spillway into Lake Pontchartrain, where the fresh water has triggered algae blooms in the brackish marsh. With more than 300 bays open, the spillway flushed more than 300-thousand cubic feet per second into the lake. No decision has been made yet on when more bays will be closed.
For WWNO,I'm Eileen Fleming.