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(Updated) Legislator: Decision on Bayou Chene closure will come Friday afternoon

Morganza opening likely, but not official

Though an official decision hasn’t yet been made to open the Morganza Spillway, state legislators are encouraging authorities to install a barge on Bayou Chene to protect that area from more flooding.

State Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, said in a Facebook post that state officials tell him that a decision on funding and constructing the temporary structure in Bayou Chene will be made at 3 p.m. Friday.

Officials are preparing for the tentative June 2 opening of the Morganza Spillway. However, an official decision hasn’t been made, but the Mississippi River Commission should make that decision by Tuesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

Operating the Morganza Spillway is meant to relieve high water issues along the Mississippi River. But opening of Morganza would send more water to the Atchafalaya Basin, which is already experiencing flooding.

St. Mary Levee District officials plan to receive bids Monday for the potential cost of sinking a barge in Bayou Chene. If officials make the decision to open Morganza and the levee district receives financial assistance for the Bayou Chene closure, the levee district would also be ready to make an official decision Tuesday on Bayou Chene, said Tim Matte, executive director of the St. Mary Levee District.

Installation of the temporary barge would take no more than seven to 10 days from the bid award. But the closure could possibly be finished quicker than that, Matte said.

In a Thursday meeting, officials learned that with the possible Morganza opening, the Atchafalaya River is projected to crest at 9 feet June 26 in Morgan City, Matte said.

State leaders plan to start to dewater the flooded sections of La. 70 in lower St. Martin over the weekend. That method entails creating a dam on both sides of the highway and then use pumps to dewater that stretch, Edwards said.

Edwards held a news conference Thursday following a Unified Command Group meeting in Baton Rouge. The conference was streamed live on Edwards’ Facebook page.

Allain said in a Thursday afternoon news release that he and other state officials are encouraging authorities to sink a barge on Bayou Chene to provide residents with some protection from high water currently threatening the area.

“We are urging the barge be funded and put in place regardless of whether the spillway is opened,” Allain said. “This would provide protection for five parishes and thousands of residents and businesses,”

Rep. Sam Jones, D-Franklin, echoed Allain’s call to sink the barge in that news release. Both Allain and Jones said this flood highlights the need to build the permanent flood protection structure on Bayou Chene.

Construction has yet to begin on a permanent floodgate on Bayou Chene, but officials expect that floodgate will be operational by summer 2021.

Edwards plans to request officials declare a federal disaster declaration for the federal government to assist the state in the flood fighting efforts.

If Morganza is opened, officials expect a “slow opening” with one gate per day for the first three days, and the remainder of the gates on the fourth day, Edwards said. The anticipated flow rate through the spillway would be roughly 60,000 cubic feet per second compared to the 300,000 cubic feet per second flow rate during the 2011 opening.

Despite the much slower projected flow rate, the challenge this time is that the ground in the spillway is saturated, Edwards said. Five to seven days of dry weather should help somewhat lessen the blow, but the greatest impact to water levels is from heavy rain much farther north that will flow down the Mississippi River, he said.

ST. MARY NOW

Franklin Banner-Tribune
P.O. Box 566, Franklin, LA 70538
Phone: 337-828-3706
Fax: 337-828-2874

Morgan City Review
1014 Front Street, Morgan City, LA 70380
Phone: 985-384-8370
Fax: 985-384-4255