NORCO- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened 10 bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway today to combat the rising Mississippi River.

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Officials hope that opening 10 of the 350 bays will relieve the levees in New Orleans. The 76,000-acre spillway offers flood protection but also poses environmental risks because of the mixing of fresh and brackish water. Environmental risks include invasive fish species, algae, and the movement of sediment.

Once the spillway opens, water will flow from the Mississippi to Lake Pontchartrain.

Today's opening will be the 12th time this has happened.