Avoyelles Parish cautiously optimistic as rivers rise

A lot of water is coming through Avoyelles from several sources, but current projections are that the parish will be spared any major flooding.

Current projections are that the rivers in Avoyelles will remain below the levels reached in March 2016, officials said.

Unless it rains. And it could. Then all bets are off and it’s back to the crystal balls for the federal, state and local officials trying to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a “state of emergency” for Avoyelles and eight other parishes along the state’s rivers last Monday, urging people living along the river to prepare for possible flooding.

“We are in the process of securing the levee at Brouillette with the Levee Board,” Avoyelles Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Joey Frank said. “We will be putting large ‘super sacks’ on top with small sandbags in between them.”

Frank said the Red River is not expected to top the levee, but the added sandbags will help to ensure there is no problem.

“Inmates from the state’s Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Cottonport are filling 13,000 sandbags to assist the Levee Board in shoring up the levees,” Frank added.

As of late last week, there had been no request for or indication of a need for sandbags for individual homes and businesses.

Water levels in Avoyelles are impacted by the Mississippi, Atchafalaya, Black and Red rivers, Frank said.

Forecasts as of mid-week were optimistic that the parish would be spared any major impact from the high rivers. However, he added, “I am concerned due to all of the rain we have had here, combined with all of that water coming down on us from several directions, and the prospect of more rain.”

RIVER STAGES
River forecasts this past week indicated the Atchafalaya was in no danger of flooding at Simmesport. It was at 29.4 feet, with a flood stage of 47 feet, this past week. Frank said backwater flooding begins when the Atchafalaya reaches 35 feet.

The Mississippi River at Red River Landing was above flood stage and rising earlier this week. With a flood stage of 48 feet, the Mississippi was expected to be at 52.8 feet today (Sunday, March 4) on its way to a 58-foot crest on March 17. At that level, farmland on the east bank of the river, all river islands from Red River Landing to Baton Rouge, recreational camps and river bottom land will be flooded.

The Black River, comes down from northeast Louisiana and joins the Red at Acme, where it was at 40 feet earlier this week. It is expected to crest near flood stage of 48 feet March 14.

The Red River was over its flood stage of 31.5 feet. It was expected to crest at 36.5 feet late Thursday (March 1) and then begin falling, Red River Waterway Commission
Marketing Director Eric Gilmore said.

The projection called for moderate flooding in the Alexandria area.

RRWC did not have projections for Lock and Dams 2 and 1, which affect Avoyelles residents and farmers, but Gilmore said the river level was expected to follow the same pattern as the Alexandria projection.

He said Lock and Dam 1 was about eight feet above pool stage this past Tuesday. It was expected to rise some, but not significantly and not for an extended period of time.

Frank said flood stage for Lock and Dam No. 1 is 53 feet. It was at almost 48.7 feet this past Tuesday.

“We can’t guess about the weather,” Gilmore said, “but we are hoping this weather was just a blip and we will be seeing a slow fall in the near future. When the river gets back to normal, we will assess issues like siltation and other factors to see if any additional work is needed on the waterway.”

RRWC has closed its boat launches along the Red as a precaution. Recreation areas are open, unless individual situations occur to close roads, Gilmore noted.

“As soon as it is deemed safe, the boat launches will be reopened,” he added.

RIVER WATCHER

Retired DOTD engineer and avid river watcher Jessie Lachney of Marksville said the situation is “very confusing” and unclear at this time.

“Everyone is just second-guessing,” Lachney said. “With the Red and the Mississippi both rising, the impact in Avoyelles is difficult to predict right now. It should be more well-defined in a few days.”

Lachney said the Atchafalaya takes all of the water from Red River and 30 percent of the water from the Mississippi, “but it can only take so much water.”

When the water level reaches 35 feet on the Atchafalaya at Simmesport, “we start worrying about backwater flooding in Brouillette,” he said.

A basic rule of thumb to estimate the water level at Brouillette is to add the Black/Red river stage at Acme to the Atchafalaya Simmesport level and divide by two.

“Some good news for those living in Brouillette is that the Corps of Engineers has fixed all of the gates on Lock & Dam No. 1, so that is a relief for that area,” Lachney said.