A permanent gate that blocks backwater flooding from affecting 30,000 people in six parishes began to be closed Monday morning ahead of expected high water on the Atchafalaya River.
The closure of the 405-foot-long Bayou Chene floodgate is the first time the three-year-old structure has been used due to high water in the Atchafalaya, a St. Mary Parish levee official said.
The $80 million floodgate finished in April 2022 was first used last fall for Hurricane Francine. Levee district operations crews began moving the submersible gate shortly before 7 a.m. Monday and were expected to be finished in the afternoon…