Lake Pontchartrain flow

[kpgraci]

I found this interesting and may be of local interest.

This photo is of Lake Pontchartrain showing the silt from the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening in 2008, not the recent opening, but it seems to show the muddy Mississippi flowing to the Gulf through the Chef Menteur Pass rather the Rigolets, which is the route I had assumed the water would take.

Someone a while back asked if the Rigolets would have a current flowing due to the spillway opening earlier this year, I think this shows that the lake outlet to the Gulf is really quite porous.

 

[Forrest15112]

I don't believe it was opened as wide as recently nor in the late 90's. I'm in the Marina at the north end of the Causeway bridge and haven't seen much debris in the water. Back in 97 or 98, I recall seeing lines of debris that stretched as far as you could see east-west nearer the south shore. The debris was mostly grass, but several tree branches and one entire tree was in the area I passed through. I came across two of these lines about a mile out and mybe a mile apart. I was wondering if you've seen anything like that off the south shore yourself this time around?

 

[kloudie1]

Haven't been out in a couple of weeks but from the breakwater at Mandeville, I see the water color more reddish brown instead of its normal greenish and clear.. Lots of duckweed looking stuff.. A buddy came in from Cat Island early in the week and reported fresh water and more dolphins than he has ever seen, even up in the Rigolets.. Going to be interesting.. Seems like the recent rains have been flushing out the lake but still a little early to tell if it is enough to stop a big algae bloom.. Keeping fingers crossed..

 

[rhythmsurfer]

Thanks for posting. Very interesting. I bought my last boat "Emma Jean", a Catalina 30 from over there on the Tchefuncta river. This was 4 mos after Katrina. I hope yall are getting back into shape over there.

Tony in Pensacola

 

[kpgraci]

I was wondering if you've seen anything like that off the south shore yourself this time around?

While it was open this last time the tides seemed to run about foot higher here and I did find a long line of grass and sticks about a 3 miles northeast of lakefront airport.

There was a report of an alligator in our harbor, which is many miles from the spillway. It was captured by a professional and either relocated or eaten, can't be sure which.