20 bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway were opened Sunday morning, sending hundreds of thousands of gallons of Mississippi river water rushing towards Lake Pontchartrain.

The move was made due to high river levels and the speed at which water was traversing past New Orleans.

It is the third time in eight years that the spillway has been opened, a rate much more historically frequent than since the spillway’s construction decades ago.

Several local officials joined hundreds of onlookers despite cold temperatures.

Corps officials said that initially 20 bays would be opened, with another 10 opening on Monday. The Corps intends to continue monitoring the situation and will raise more bays if the situation warrants it.