Rising Mississippi River Bars Most Nearby Construction

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The Mississippi River hit a mark last week that bars most construction work near levees and triggers frequent inspections of those levees.

The river edged two-hundredths of an inch (half a millimeter) above the trigger _ a depth of 11 feet (3.3 meters) at the gauge near the Corps’ New Orleans building.

Until the Mississippi falls below 11 feet, construction work within 1,500 feet (460 meters) of the levees will need permission from the Corps, which will inspect the levees twice weekly.

The first such inspection is March 7, Boyett said in an email to The Associated Press.

When the river rises above 15 feet (4.6 meters), no construction is allowed and inspections are daily. However, that’s not expected to happen this time around.

The National Weather Service has said that, based on recent and expected heavy rains, the lower Mississippi River will stay above 11 feet (3.3 meters) until March 21, peaking at 12.3 feet (3.7 meters) on March 12, The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate reported.

The Mississippi and lower Ohio rivers are rising at the same rate they have in past years, weather service hydrologist Jeffery Graschel told the newspaper.

“It’s pretty early in the season for flooding,” Graschel said. “The river will have to be watched very closely. We can still have flooding for a number of more months.”

The Corps is asking residents to call 504-862-2201 if they see anything wrong with the levees.

“People live and recreate around the levees on a daily basis,” spokesman Matthew Roe told the newspaper. “They’re going to be the first ones to notice if anything’s out of the ordinary.”