Bonne Carre Field Trip

Along with the entire freshman class of the School of Architecture, the Mississippi River Basin Colloquium Class traveled to the Bonne Carre Spillway. The MRBC class was interested in how the Bonne Carre Spillway functioned as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control system. The School of Architecture students were there to visit two historic African-American cemeteries. The Architecture students were engaged in a design competition to create a commemorative structure to mark these two cemeteries.

The Mississippi had reached its highest point in over two years the day before we arrived. It was nice for our students to see the river rising.

The Bonne Carre Spillway, looking upriver. The river is on the left in this picture. Note that the spillway is "leaking" water in accordance with its design.

The Bonne Carre river gauge. The river crested the day before at just under 18 feet.

The fore bay of the Bonne Carre Spillway. The cranes on the spillway are used to remove the wooden pins or "stop logs." The more pins removed the more water that can escape to Lake Pontchartrain.

The Mississippi River looking upstream across the fore bay.

Looking upriver along the spillway. The pins or "stop logs" are visible on the right. The spillway has opened eight times in its history and is designed to pass 250,000 cfs. The spillway is opened only when river levels reach 17 feet in New Orleans.

Scott Wall (second from right) leads the tour.

When the spillway is leaking fishermen take advantage of spawning shad to "dip" for fish.

The results of ten hours' work. On a good day they will fill the bed of a pickup with these "bait" fish in two hours.

While at the spillway we heard a lecture on the history and evolution of the spillway from Dr. Ed Lyon of the U.S.A.C.E.

Deb, Brookes and Stephen (with camera) listen to Dr. Lyon.

Ed Lyon lectures to the group.

Walking to one of the historic African-American cemeteries (located near the white post to the left of the large group of students) within the Bonne Carre Spillway.

Tillman Hardy (on left) and Ed Lyon speak with the manager of the Bonne Carre Spillway.