Bonnet Carre

[Riley Smith]

New Orleans is protected by levees all over the place. They protect it from the Mississippi River. In a period of heavy snow melt up north, and moisture laden fronts rolling south dropping major rain, things get hairy in the Swamp. The Corps of Engineers do everything they can to tame the river but it is a big project and a major impact is had when it gets to acting up. I have no idea what all the systems encompass, but do know that a major flood is a REALLY big problem.  It is a very strange feeling to take a walk to the levee and realize all that water is ABOVE you.

And that is what happened in 2019, a big, gigantic wave of water coming downriver from every puddle between here and there. And so finally the decision was made to open the Bonnet Carre spillway, to ease the strain on the infrastructure and keep New Orleans from washing out into the marsh. Which  causes that fresh water to eventually wind up in the Mississippi Sound.

The trouble with all THAT is there are some who claim it almost destroys the Mississippi Sound when all that happens. A massive surge of freshwater being dumped out into the salty Mississippi Sound would seem to indicate a major change and it did. But on top of this scenario, there is one factor that never gets mentioned. The Mississippi Gulf Coast and adjoining Mobile Bay, has a plethora of major rivers of its own that flood, dumping major amounts of fresh water of their own into the salt. The Pearl River, Pascagoula River (itself formed from three rivers), along with several smaller rivers like the Escatawpa, the Biloxi, and so forth.  Mobile Bay itself is gigantic and the Tombigbee routes through there.  Heck, it creates it's own weather in the summer. One of those lightning storms that form when a south wind pushes all that hot moisture in the air to a funnel at the top are something to behold.

Anyway, a BIG and EXTENDED slug of freshwater came calling. It happens and will continue to happen in the natural cycle of things. On a side note, in the un-natural cycle of things, there are now houses, highways, and even cities where the Mississippi River used to create LAKES before the Corps of Engineers. Driving upstate on Hwy 61 close to where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil late one night, I was thinking of that fact. Where I was traveling would be under many feet of water back then. And then I passed a sign out in the boondocks mentioning a mound (one of the Mound Building Culture mounds). And I understood WHY they built the mounds.

All of that to give you this:

I talked to the bait shop guy yesterday before launching the boat. He's an old shrimper who runs the boat and he told me they had shut down operations until things improve. They were even buying dead shrimp to sell. (FYI LIVE shrimp are the bread and butter). After three successive storm fronts, the local rivers are pumping fresh water into the Gulf. So you have several major rivers along the northern Gulf of Mexico just now cresting. The numerous rivers that drain a big part of two states are adding to the woes that opening the Bonnie Carrie spillway that relieves pressure off the Mississippi River is creating. The old man told me they caught 80 shrimp the other day and decided to shut it down. That's not even enough to buy the fuel.

I had ran by a couple of weeks ago and could smell the salt water. Yesterday, that smell was gone and instead of a green color the water was brown. All the pelicans looked listless and starving. None were diving on food because there isn't any. When fresh water is a problem for fishing that is the go-to place. I had chosen that place because of the currents everywhere else and enjoyed a good sail, but I never touched the fishing gear I brought. There was no use.

Post mortem: The fresh water killed all of the oysters. It killed many dolphins too. And most likely, everything in between. It happens, although I'm sure the levees don't help matters. The Sound is recovering and fish are back for now. They're discussing how to ensure the oysters are viable once again. Until the next round.

[Doug SC]

After a big flush of freshwater at the coast the shelling on the beaches is good because many of the saltwater mollusks die and are washed up on shore.

[Wayne Howard]

Back in 2011, we had Impetuous offshore of Louisiana and sailing in the brown water amid the hyacinths. Depth finder going crazy indicating 1.5 feet of water. We came up to Raccoon Island and decided to duck in behind it for the night. I am using a CJ forward sonar kit because the depth finder won't settle down on a good number. Depth finder keeps indicating that we should be aground but the cork is still floating vertically so I know we are good. We get in as close to the island as I feel comfortable and drop anchor. Well, well, well. 10 feet of water.

I finally put all the clues together and figure out that the depth finder is reading the interface between the salt water and the fresh water that is flowing out to sea from all the flooding up north.

[Frank B.]

And it can go too far the other way.  Oysters are creatures that thrive in a range of salinity or in brackish water, a range of temperatures and flowing water for food, tidal and introduction of natural rivers and streams. One of the most prolific oyster producing estuaries in the world was Apalachicola bay.  I say was because it was killed off during my lifetime. In this case, the incessant growth of Atlanta resulted in the diversion of the river water for human use that would normally flow to that bay insuring the proper salinity and flow of nutrients.  The oysters were negatively affected but not their predators.  And while the state of Florida has sued the state of Georgia, those things never go anywhere other than to make some noise.  It is not nice to mess with the estuaries.

In this case the final blow came when the wildlife department allowed an all out no limit season anticipating the destruction of the reefs by the Deepwater Horizon spill which never came.  Those of you who attended BEER 2011 might remember waiting to launch because literally hundreds of boats were hired to go out and find spill oil.  And the lineup of satellite news trucks, their crews all playing cards "waiting for the talking heads to find a spot of tar to talk about".  And the dark windows in the hotels at quiet water that were empty because those same talking heads had scared them off with their normal bucket of sensational BS.

[Doug SC]

I ate many Apalachicola Oysters when I lived in Gainsville. I hunted on St. Vincent Island a few times. Did some fishing up that way and camped at Indian Pass. I hate what happen there and it seems "progress" with its water use and pollution upriver is more important than the worlds fisheries. A people first and planet second approach to our economies doesn't bode well for a lot of life on this planet.

[Frank B.]

Yep, most of the reefs were on the Indian Pass side of the bay.  There is some effort to bring it back through farms, but it may be too long of a road.  Florida is giving grants to those willing to try.  Not in my lifetime, but hopeful for the long term.  The Europeans are a bit ahead of us in this endeavor.

[Norm L.]

The floating oyster farms are doing well. It was experimental and a bit expensive to get it started but the results are good oysters and faster growing oysters. They are good but I wish they were as affordable as the Apalach oysters...if you knew where to eat them.

People don't care if New Orleans gets washed away it a greater concern about the loss of grain elevators, coal facilities, and chemical plants. And humans to work at them.
If you are bored come over for the Bonnet Carre cross country mud foot race. It's popular with the endurance runners.