Bonnet Carre Spillway

Bonnet Carre Spillway

also called  Bonnet Carre Floodway 
 emergency floodway in St. Charles parish, southeastern Louisiana, U.S. Located about 30 miles (50 km) upstream from New Orleans, it is designed to divert water from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain (Pontchartrain, Lake). The spillway consists of a concrete dike along the east (left) bank of the Mississippi and the spillway itself, a broad lowland that extends northeastward for about 6 miles (10 km) to the lake and is contained by levees. The dike is some 7,700 feet (2,350 metres) long and contains 350 bays, or weirs. The weirs are opened by removing timbers in them with mobile electric cranes mounted on a narrow-gauge track and are closed by reversing the process. When fully opened, the spillway can divert some 250,000 cubic feet (7,100 cubic metres) of water per second.

      The construction of a spillway in the area was proposed in 1927 after a major flood that year killed more than 500 people. Built in 1929–31 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it became part of the federal Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, a flood-control program for the Mississippi basin to replace the levee system constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The spillway has saved New Orleans from considerable damage during floods since the weirs were first opened in 1937. The corps maintains and operates the dike structure under the direction of the federal Mississippi River Commission. The spillway area provides a variety of recreational activities.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bonnet Carré Spillway — The Bonnet Carré Spillway is a flood control operation in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Located in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana about 12 miles west of New Orleans it allows floodwaters from the Mississippi River to flow into Lake Pontchartrain… …   Wikipedia

  • Bonnet Carré — can refer to* Bonnet Carré Spillway a flood control structure in Louisiana * Bonnet Carré Crevasse 1871 Mississippi River levee failure and associated flood …   Wikipedia

  • Bonnet Carré Crevasse — The Bonnet Carré Crevasse was an 1871 breech in the Mississippi River levees some 15 miles upriver of New Orleans, Louisiana which resulted in substantial flooding. It was the worst flooding much of New Orleans had experienced since Sauvé s… …   Wikipedia

  • Morganza Spillway — The Morganza Spillway, between the Mississippi River and the Atchafalaya Basin, shown while open in 1973. Water flows from the Mississippi (upper right) into the Morganza Floodway (lower left). The Morganza Spillway or Morganza Control Structure… …   Wikipedia

  • Morganza Spillway — Als der Morganza Spillway 1973 das erste Mal geöffnet wurde, diente es vor allem dazu, den Wasserdruck auf die der Old River Control Structure zu verringern. Der Morganza Spillway ist ein Wasserbauwerk am Mississippi River oberhalb von Morganza… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • 2011 Mississippi River floods — The Great 2011 Mississippi River floods 100 populated locations were experiencing major or moderate flooding on May 8, 2011. Source: National Weather Service …   Wikipedia

  • Mississippi River floods — Lower Mississippi River levees. The Mississippi River and its tributaries have flooded on numerous occasions.[1] This is a list of major floods. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Mississippi Flood of 1973 — 1973 Mississippi River floods Morgan City, Louisiana inundated during May 1973 Duration …   Wikipedia

  • Mississippi River — For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). Coordinates: 29°09′04″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / …   Wikipedia

  • Mississippiflut 2011 — 100 Messstellen meldeten am 8. Mai Wasserstände einer mäßigen bis starken Flut Die Mississippiflut 2011 war eine Überschwemmung am Mississippi, bei der an vielen Stellen die höchsten Pegelstände seit 1927 erreicht wurden und von der ein Gebiet… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”