Flooding in the Bonnet Carré Spillway

Flooded land within the Bonnet Carré Spillway. Normally, this land is dry, but when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decides to release Mississippi River water from the Bonnet Carré Spillway, this land will be submerged.

In late 2015/early 2016, unusually large rainfall in the Upper Mississippi River Valley led to flooding throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. USGS water science centers responded to the flooding by measuring the streamflow, collecting water quality information, and providing that information to emergency responders.