Bonnet Carré Spillway, Flood control structure in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States.
The Bonnet Carré Spillway is a flood control structure along the Mississippi River with 350 bays that manage water flow. The system directs excess river water into Lake Pontchartrain during periods of high flow.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built this flood management system between 1929 and 1931 in response to the devastating 1927 Mississippi River flood. The project emerged from the urgent need to better control river water flow.
The land around the spillway contains historical cemeteries with remains of enslaved people and free African Americans from the 1700s through the 1900s. These burial grounds tell the stories of those who lived and died in this region.
The spillway is accessible by taking Highway 61 to Highway 48, then turning onto River Road in Norco. The final approach is a short drive of about one mile from this main road.
Mobile electric cranes mounted on narrow-gauge tracks remove wooden timbers from the bays to release water during flooding. This hand-operated system allows workers to adjust flow precisely by adding or removing timbers as needed.
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