Flooding in St. Charles Parish
Although the Bonnet Carré Spillway has controlled the waters of the Mississippi River, flooding from rainfall and tides continued to take its toll on St. Charles Parish. In the latter part of the 1900s—1973, 1989, and 1995, the parish experienced major flooding caused by heavy rainfalls. Rising tides and rainfall associated with hurricanes also plagued the area.
Still under construction, the East Bank Hurricane Protection Levee is designed to provide a buffer between Lake Pontchartrain and the developed area. On the west bank, similar protection was not yet in place in 2010 although plans are being made to construct a levee system. The ongoing challenge to secure and protect the mainland of the German Coast known as St. Charles Parish continues as erosion plays a role in the increasing vulnerability of the low-lying terrain.
This text is copyright © material by Marilyn Richoux, Joan Becnel and Suzanne Friloux, from St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A Pictorial History, 2010.
