For the second time in three years, the Army Corps of Engineers has opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway in Louisiana to manage uncharacteristically early floods on the Mississippi River.
"We are at a high river, roughly top 15 or so in the river's last century," New Orleans District Commander for the Corps Col. Michael Clancy said on March 8 before ordering the spillway open. "It's not a record-breaker, but it's still a significant flood that poises a significant risk to New Orleans."