Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority

Built in 1929–31 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonnet Carre Spillway became part of the federal Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, a flood-control program for the Mississippi basin to replace the levee system constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The weirs were first opened in 1937. The structure is designed to divert water from the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartrain. The corps maintains and operates the dike structure under the direction of the federal Mississippi River Commission.