NEW ORLEANS (WWL-TV) — For the third time in four years the Bonnet Carré Spillway will be opened Wednesday to the projected flow of water down the Mississippi River, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

According to the Corps of Engineers web site, this will be the first time that the spillway has been opened in consecutive years. The Corps anticipates opening approximately 38 bays Wednesday, possibly increasing it to 200 bays over time.

The Spillway is used to divert water flow from the Mississippi River and send it toward Lake Pontchartrain when the water flow gets too high.

Boyett says that projected flows indicate an opening in the middle of next week, likely Thursday, February 28.

The ‘trigger’ for an opening is a projected river flow of 1.25 million cubic feet per second, which is what the New Orleans river levees are designed to handle. Anything above that level means the spillway is opened.

The spillway has opened several times in recent years, including: 2008, 2011, 2016 and 2018.