Mississippi River expected to hit highest level in 20 years in New Orleans
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for seepage in the earthen levees as the Mississippi River rises. A chlorine test showed that this water was from a broken underground pipe and not the river. Image: Ryan Labadens/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Officials are inspecting the levees daily in New Orleans metro as the Mississippi River continues to rise.
Why it matters: The levees protect more than 1 million people from floodwaters.
The big picture: The river was at 16.31 feet Monday at the Carrollton Gage, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Anything over 11 feet requires flood-fighting measures, including inspections and construction restrictions near the levees.
- Authorities are doing daily patrols from Baton Rouge to Venice.
- The Corps says it found water seepage in a levee last week, but an engineer determined it was from a broken water pipe and not from the river.
Zoom in: The river is expected to crest Thursday in New Orleans at 16.8 feet, just below minor flood stage at 17 feet, the Corps says.
- If the forecast holds true, it will be the river's highest level in the city in at least 20 years, according to the National Weather Service.
- The levees and flood walls are expected to generally protect the city for up to 20 feet of water, Corps spokesman Matt Roe says.
Flashback: The record flood level in New Orleans is 21.3 feet, which was set on April 25, 1922.
Threat level: Baton Rouge is forecast to reach major flood stage this week when the river crests Thursday at 42.4 feet, NWS says.
- The threshold for a major flood there is 42 feet.
- The floodwaters are coming from the torrential rains in the Ohio Valley earlier this month, writes Greg Hilburn with the Shreveport Times.
- Check current river levels.
Zoom out: The Corps tested opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway last week in case it is needed to relieve the flooding.
- The agency has not made a recommendation as of Monday on whether the spillway should be fully opened, Roe tells Axios New Orleans.
- The threshold is based on the flow of the water, he said, and not on the river level.
What's next: The river is supposed to hover just under 17 feet for a week in New Orleans before it starts dropping, according to the current forecast.
- The water level is expected to remain elevated for the rest of the month, NWS says.
Go deeper: Track river levels in New Orleans