At the end of June in New Orleans, after 176 days, water levels along the Mississippi River dropped below 11' at the Carrollton Gage prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District to close out flood fight efforts.
The Corps activated phase I flood fight as a proactive measure on Jan. 9, 2020, when the Mississippi River rose above 11'. During this high-water event the river was above 15' at the Carrollton gage for 93 days requiring phase II operations.
The levee patrols associated with phase I activation help ensure the Corps and the local levee authorities can respond quickly to problem areas that may develop along the levee system due to the elevated water levels.
Included in the flood fight is the restriction of certain construction activities within 1,500' of the Mississippi River levees. Now that the river is below 11' at the Carrollton Gage, these restriction are lifted. Permit holders and residents are advised to contact their local levee districts for detailed information regarding their projects.
Throughout this high-water event the Corps of Engineers worked closely with federal, state, and local partners to coordinate efforts and conduct inspections of the entire river levee system to ensure it would perform as designed and safely pass the high water.
The Corps will continue to work with the state and local levee boards during post-flood inspections while beginning work to reset and restore the levee system on the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers.
