Department of Natural Resources
Atchafalaya Basin Bulletin

Greetings from the Department of Natural Resources Atchafalaya Basin Program!

NEWS AND EVENTS

News:

The Times Picayune: Louisiana black bear to be removed from endangered species list
The Advocate: Visitors get up close view of American bald eagles during 11th Annual Eagle Expo
Louisiana Sportsman: Whose water is it anyway?
Country Roads: Way down in Louisiana
Louisiana Sportsman: Jig power
Steamboat Today: Canoeing 5,200 miles from the Gulf to the Arctic Ocean
Louisiana Sportsman: We got gar
All things Bayou Pigeon: Home is where the heart is!
 

Save the Date:

Blue and Gray on the Red, Alexandria, LA, March 3-6
Walk with the Birds, Baton Rouge, LA, March 5
Birds and Beyond, Breaux Bridge, LA, March 5
Healing Traditions at Vermilionville, Lafayette, LA, March 5
Kayak Demo Day at Vermilionville, Lafayette, LA, March 5
Dutch Oven Cooking Demonstration, St. Martinville, LA, March 5
Lunchtime Lagniappe Series at the Capital Park Museum presents "Louisiana Swamps and Marshes: Easy Access Hikes and Drives, March 9
3rd Annual Becasse Chapter/American Woodcock Society Sportmen's Habitat Banquet, Henderson, LA, March 11
Conversations in French around the Coffee Pot, St. Martinville, LA March 12
Terrebonne Parish Bayou Clean-up, March 12
Acadian Memorial Heritage Festival & Wooden Boat Congres, St. Martinville, LA, March 19
Crow Moon Paddle and Dinner, Lake Martin, LA, March 25

 

Send in your Basin Pics!

Let us know if you have an upcoming event to promote the Basin!

Checking the water:
The information below is obtained from the USGS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has been compiled by DNR into this format to allow a quick look at information pertinent to the Atchafalaya Basin. Click here for current weather conditions and water levels.Data is for 3/4/2016

HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK:

...MISSISSIPPI RIVER BELOW CHESTER IL AND OHIO RIVER BELOW SMITHLAND DAM IL INCLUDING ATCHAFALAYA RIVER...

A MAJOR FLOOD EVENT OCCURRED IN LATE DECEMBER/EARLY JANUARY BUT STREAMFLOWS HAVE RECEDED DURING THE PAST MONTH AND A HALF. ANOTHER RISE IS CURRENTLY ONGOING WITH MINOR FLOODING OCCURRING OR FORECAST TO OCCUR AT A COUPLE OF LOCATIONS ALONG THE LOWER OHIO AND MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI RIVERS. STREAMFLOWS ARE ABOVE NORMAL ON THE LOWER OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI RIVERS.

STREAMFLOWS:

  3/2
MISSISSIPPI RIVER THEBES IL   126%
OHIO RIVER CAIRO IL  141%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER MEMPHIS TN  127%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER ARKANSAS CITY AR 120%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER VICKSBURG MS  121%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER NATCHEZ MS 117%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER RED RIVER LANDING LA 114%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BATON ROUGE LA 115%
MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEW ORLEANS LA  113%
ATCHAFALAYA RIVER SIMMESPORT LA  134%


BASED ON EXISTING SOIL MOISTURE...STREAMFLOW CONDITIONS...AND NORMAL SPRING RAINFALL PATTERNS...AN ABOVE AVERAGE FLOOD POTENTIAL IS EXPECTED ALONG THE LOWER

MISSISSIPPI, LOWER OHIO, AND ATCHAFALAYA RIVERS. THE MAGNITUDE OF FUTURE CRESTS WILL DEPEND ON THE FREQUENCY...INTENSITY...AND EXTENT OF SPRING RAINS.


ALL STAGE FORECASTS INCLUDE 24 HOURS OF FUTURE RAINFALL.

Ohio River at Cairo
Location: Southernmost gauge on the Ohio River in Illinois Reading significance - used to forecast rises on the Mississippi. Lag time, 4 to 6 days.
Flood Stage: 40'
Stage: 43.6'
24 hour change: +0.0'
Forecast: expect to FALL to 37.9' by 3/9

Mississippi River, just south of ORCS, at Red River Landing
Reading: Mississippi River south of ORCS, after the diversion into the Atchafalaya
Flood Stage: 48'
Stage: 46.0'
24 hour change: UNK
Forecast: expect to RISE to 47.5' by 3/9
Expected crest at 48.0' at 3/11 AM

Mississippi River at Baton Rouge
Flood Stage: 35'
Stage: 29.5'
24 hour change: +0.3'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 32' by 3/9
Expected crest at 32.0' at 3/11 PM

Mississippi River at New Orleans
Flood Stage: 17'
Stage: 11.2'
24 hour change: +0.3'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 12.2' by 3/9
Expected crest at 13.0' at 3/12 AM

Atchafalaya River, just south of ORCS, at Simmesport
Reading: The combined latitudinal flows of the Red, Black, Ouachita, and ORCS flow from the Mississippi
Flood Stage: 47'
Stage: 26.38'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 27.9' by 3/9

Atchafalaya River at Melville
Flood Stage: 34'
Stage: 20.08'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 21.4' by 3/9

Atchafalaya River at Krotz Springs
Flood Stage: 29'
Stage: 18.07'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 19.1' by 3/9

Atchafalaya River above Butte Larose
Flood Stage: 20'
Stage: 13.09'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 13.7' by 3/9

Atchafalaya River at Bayou Sorrell Locks on the GIWW
Flood Stage: 12'
Stage: 7.1'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 7.6' by 3/9

Atchafalaya at Millet (Myette) Point
Flood Stage: 15'
Stage: 6.58'
Forecast: expect to RISE 6.9' by 3/9

Atchafalaya River at Morgan City
Flood Stage: 6'
Stage: 4.36'
Forecast: expect to RISE to 4.7' by 3/9

Lower Grand River at Bayou Sorrel
Stage: 7.59'

Fore Bay at Morganza Floodway Temporary Gage
Stage: 39.31'

Bayou Courtableau
Stage: 18.38'

Middle Fork, Bayou Long
Stage: 5.88'

Arm of Grand Lake near Crook Chene
Stage: 11.26'

Pontoon Bridge at Butte Larose
Stage: 9.29'

Lake Pelba at I-10, Henderson
Stage: 13.20'

 

 

 

   
  Department of Natural Resources
617 North Third Street | LaSalle Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
(225) 342-0556
www.dnr.louisiana.gov
 
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