Too much water so Bayou St John overtopped the banks.
Bayou St. John overtopped its banks and partially flooded yards Wednesday morning after a local flood management authority let too much water into the New Orleans waterway. Crews working for the Flood Control Authority-East “overshot the target level” when letting water into the bayou via valves linked to Lake Pontchartain, said Chris Humphreys, the authority’s engineering director. The authority regulates flows into the bayou, which had recently been low. “Crews keep an eye on the bayou to keep it at the sweet spot,” Humphreys said. But the lake’s levels were “higher than expected,” possibly due to a high tide. Crews can either open valves slowly or open the sector gate to allow water to flow quickly.
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Lawns and sidewalks got wet but no water seems to have gotten into buildings.
Several residents shared photos of flooded lawns and sidewalks along the bayou. Humphreys said no flooding in buildings or other property damage had been reported. The valves were closed as of 10 a.m. and water had stopped flowing into the bayou. Now the challenge is getting the water out. That duty falls to another agency, the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board. The authority is working with the S&WB to open a series of smaller valves to drain the pent up water into the city’s drainage system. The bayou should return to normal levels later today, Humphreys said.
This is what happens when valves are not watched to see how much water is coming in.
