Morganza operation review planned

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold public meetings, including one in Morgan City, regarding plans to tweak the way the Morganza flood control structure is operated during floods, according to an Associated Press article.
The Morganza flood control structure diverts water from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya floodway to help prevent too much water from getting downriver, the article said.
Normally, the structure is opened when the river reaches a flow rate of 1.5 million cubic feet per second and rising. However, the river bottom has changed over the years, which has led to higher water flow levels in 2011, according to the article.
Meetings will be held in St. Martinville, Morgan City and Baton Rouge, the article stated.
St. Mary Levee District Executive Director Tim Matte said area officials are interested in the results of any changes in regard to the public meetings. The meeting in Morgan City is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, Matte said.
Ricky Boyett, corps spokesman, said the corps is proposing making sure the structure is operated so that the river water height doesn’t get higher than 57 feet, the Associated Press article stated.
The proposed changes have some merit, Matte said. The trigger for operating the structure is based on the cubic feet per second flow, Matte said. Corps officials want to add some elevation criteria to the flow requirements, he said. The result of the experience from the 2011 flood was that the structure was possibly opened later than officials thought might have been a good idea, Matte said.
During the 2011 flood, Matte, who was the mayor of Morgan City at the time, said he heard a lot of comments from people suggesting opening the Morganza flood control structure should have been opened earlier in order to let a little water out instead of letting all the water out at once as was actually done. At the time, the corps was following the target flow numbers for operation of the structure, Matte said.
The thought process for the proposed corps changes is trying to add a little flexibility to the criteria used to operate the structure, Matte said. In 2011, the flood control structure was put under slightly more stress due to the delay in operating it, he said. “There’s a thought that if they could open it a little at a time … then it wouldn’t put as much stress and, therefore, wouldn’t be subject to as much damage,” Matte said.
However, the water has to reach a certain level before it even gets to the gate of the flood control structure in order to operate the structure, Matte said. “I don’t think the projected change will be real dramatic, but on the other hand, it’s more to give them some flexibility.”
During the 1973 flood and 2011 flood, the Morganza flood control structure suffered some damage that required repairs, Matte said. The proposed changes have the potential to help the Morgan City area, but circumstances may exist where operating the structure later is better for Morgan City, he said.