No plans to close Bayou Chene with projected 8-foot crest

A projected 8-foot crest on the Atchafalaya River in about three weeks won’t be high enough for officials to close Bayou Chene in Amelia.

Forecasters predict the river will crest March 20 in Morgan City, said meteorologist Rob Megnia of the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office. However, that projection is subject to change, Megnia said. The river was at about 6.4 feet Monday afternoon and projected to reach 6.8 feet by Friday.

At this point, officials have no plans to facilitate an emergency closure of Bayou Chene in Amelia to prevent potential regional flooding, said Tim Matte, executive director of the St. Mary Levee District.

Matte said the projected crest would probably have to be over 10 feet for officials to plan to close Bayou Chene.

Precipitation in the river system that's not yet accounted for could change the 8-foot crest projection, Matte said. Levee district officials will continually monitor the river projections and are talking with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address any issues, he said.

That projected crest is similar to 2018 when the river crested at about 8 feet. St. Mary Parish didn’t see any major impact from last year’s crest, but some surrounding areas did have some issues, Matte said.

The Atchafalaya has already crested once in 2019, reaching 6 1/2 feet in late January.

St. Mary Levee District officials last installed a temporary barge in Bayou Chene to prevent possible flooding in 2016. The Atchafalaya reached 8.2 feet that year. But the river had initially been forecast to crest at 9 1/2 feet, and the Corps had talked about possibly operating the Morganza floodway, which would have raised the crest to 10.2 feet in Morgan City.

The levee district also installed a temporary barge in 2011 when the river got to 10.35 feet.

Phase one of construction on the nearly $90 million Bayou Chene Flood Control and Diversion Project should start in the fall. That project will eventually include a permanent floodgate that can be closed to prevent potential backwater flooding from the Atchafalaya.

Morgan City is in much better since the 2011 flood because of the levee work during the past few years, Matte said. If necessary, placing a row of Hesco baskets along Lakeside Subdivision wouldn’t be difficult to do to provide temporary protection for that area, he said.

Morgan City officials have closed the Freret Street floodgate, but haven’t yet deemed any other floodgate closures necessary, Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi said. Berwick leaders closed the town’s First Street gate Friday and were considering closing the Pacific Street gate in the next couple of days, Mayor Duval Arthur said.

The Walnut Street barge in Morgan City has been closed for over a month, and officials plan to keep it closed until the water level is consistently below the closure threshold, said Lee Dragna , chairman of St. Mary Parish Consolidated Drainage District No. 2.

St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars issued a no-wake zone order Saturday that will remain in effect until further notice for lower St. Martin Parish. Officials are prepared and have a protocol in place for what to do when the water levels reach certain points, Cedars said.

St. Martin officials can get about 1,000 bags of sand to Stephensville within an hour and also have a sandbagging machine to expedite the process, Cedars said.

As of Monday, the Coast Guard had issued the following vessel traffic restrictions for Berwick Bay. South tows transiting the Morgan City bridges and west tows turning the Intracoastal Waterway at mile marker 98.5 west of the Harvey Lock will be limited to a maximum tow length of 600 feet, with deviations allowed on a case-by-case basis. Those deviations will be discontinued by the end of the week once the river reaches 7 feet, said Lt. Timothy Veach, Vessel Traffic Service director and chief of waterways for Marine Safety Unit Morgan City.

Tows over 400 feet turning west at mile marker 98.5 are required to have a shadow assist regardless of horsepower. Towing vessels equipped with a properly operating bow steering unit are exempt from Temporary Emergency Vessel Management Controls. All tows remain subject to the Vessel Traffic Service Berwick Bay high water towing limitations.

For more information on the waterway restrictions, contact Morgan City Waterways Management at 985-380-5334 or Vessel Traffic Service Berwick Bay at 985-380-5370.