Coast leaders file motion in Bonnet Carre Spillway Case; Spillway opened Friday

Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Mississippi River Commission open the way for the Bonnet Carre Spillway to open earlier today to alleviate Mississippi River flooding as well as lives and property near the City of New Orleans.

With the u.s. army- corps of engineers and- mississippi river commission- opened the way for the bonnet - carre spillway to open earlier- today at 10 am to alleviate - mississippi river flooding as - well as lives and property in - the - city of new orleans - - news 25 has learned that on - thursday, south mississippi - leaders, cities and other local- entitites filed a motion in the- locally-filed case to compel th- corps to produce- documents about their managemen- of the spillway.- toni miles reports.

- - for the third time in less than- two years, the mississippi rive- commission and the u.s. army- corps of engineers has green- lighted the opening of- the bonnet carre spillway - starting friday morning to help- alleviate mississippi river - flooding - and to keep new- orleans from flooding-despite - two pending lawsuits filed by - coast mayors and supervisors -- as well as state officials - in- an- effort to give the coast and- mississippi a voice in the- decision whether to open the- bonnet carre spillway - since it's the magnolia state's- economy and environment - that takes the biggest hit from- the estimated several billion - gallons of water a week that- gushes into the mississippi - sound.- dr. moby solangi, institute for- marine mammal studies director:- " it's not- simply fresh water.

It's river- water which contains all these- contaminants, - agriculture waste, industrial - waste, sewage waste.

Salinity - is one part of- it, but the pollutants have a - longer term effect.

We need to- be taking a look at the - - - - abrupt change that occurs when- the mississippi river is- diverted to this area."

- coast leaders say south - mississippi still has not - recovered from last year's- - - - unprecedented back-to-back- openings of the bonnet carre- spillway - which resulted in- federal fisheries disaster- declarations -- due just in part to the - decimated shrimping and oyster- harvests- in our area - as well as a- massive toxic algae bloom in th- sound last year - and the recen- decision compelled coast- governments to push back and as- the court to have the corps - produce facts to back up its- - - - claims that opening the bonnet- carre spillway is allegedly jus- quote - routine - operations - and that they are- not subject to the national - environmental policy act.

- according to dr. moby solangi,- director of gulfport's- institute of marine mammal- studies, who has more than 40 - years experience as a marine- biologist and researcher on - the mississippi gulf coast -- this most recent decision to- open- the bonnet carre spillway puts- mississippi and the gulf- coast in particular between a - rock and a hard place.- dr. moby solangi, institute for- marine mammal studies director:- " all of these- issues are extremely important.- mississippi today is the only - state in the union today that - has a double whammy - from the- sea and the land."- and while it is documented that- a leader with the corps' new- orleans district stated during - february 19th meeting this year- with the louisiana coastal- restoration and - protection authority board that- the corps did not expect to - open the bonnet carre or- morganiza spillways this- year - less than two months - later - on april 3rd - the- spillway- has been opened.- toni miles, news 25.-