The much-anticipated opening of the Morganza Spillway has been postponed as authorities juggle changing forecasts, a river elevation threatening to overtop the structure, and a hesitance to put any more water in the Atchafalaya floodway than is necessary.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday announced the Morganza Spillway's gates north of Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River will not begin opening Sunday as expected, but will be pushed back to June 6.

Army Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett said the decision was made due to a change in forecasts that show the swollen Mississippi River won't reach an elevation that threatens overtopping the Morganza structure until at least June 9, compared to the prior model showing a June 5 threat.

He said officials will continue monitoring the changing forecasts, but pushing the opening back allows a few more days without diverted water in area croplands, homes and waterways.

"We don't want to put any more water into that floodway than we need to," he said.

The initial plan was to open one bay each day for the first three days starting Sunday, and to release a relatively small amount of water at a time, allowing wildlife to safely escape the deluge. Officials have previously said they expect to open between 20 and 25 bays of the spillway's 125.

Officials, homeowners, farmers and business owners in the spillway's path have for days been moving to higher ground in anticipation of the Sunday opening. Public meetings were held in Butte La Rose and Morgan City earlier this week to allay concerns of residents largely worried about backwater flooding threatening their homes.

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The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's contractors this week began placing a barge at Bayou Chene — near Morgan City — to drastically reduce the backwater flooding in St. Mary, St. Martin, Iberville, Terrebonne and Assumption parishes that residents said has crippled them in the past.

Already-high water in the spillway's path has spelled a 100% loss in shrimping season, flooded soybean, corn and sugarcane fields, and the possibility of a shortened crawfish season.

Gov. John Bel Edwards toured the barge late Thursday to witness the sinking process, which involves floating the Bayou Chene barge into place then submerging it and closing off the flowing water with sheet metal, steel beams and rocks.

The entire barge-sinking process should be complete within days, but now that the spillway's opening has been pushed back, the sunken barge should allow for backwater flooding already in place in those communities to lower before the new June 6 opening date.

During a brief press conference during the barge tour, Edwards said the plan is still to open one spillway bay per day from June 6-8, then on June 9 open as many as it takes to get the water flow to 150,000 cubic feet per second.

Updated estimates show that the water around Morgan City should by June 21 rise to 10 feet from the current 8.5 feet, almost two weeks after authorities anticipate the spillway's bays will be completely opened.

The June 6 opening would mark only the third time the Morganza Spillway has opened, the previous being in 2011 and 1973.

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