mississippi river

These before and after pictures near LSU illustrate just how serious the water levels have become in the Mississippi River.

The failure of a water treatment plant shouldn't have too much of an impact down the river.

The whole world knows about Bourbon Street, Tabasco, and Mardi Gras, but whether you've lived in Louisiana your entire life, moved away and come back only for holidays, or you're just here for a weekend, there are some really fun 'off the beaten path' spots and experiences that you can only have in Louisiana...

Opening the Spillway will divert approximately 140,000 cubic feet of water per second. There is a downside however.

As the waters of the Mississippi River continue to rise and directly effect the Atchafalaya, the St. Mary Parish Levee District has declared a state of emergency.

Governor Bobby Jindal has just issued a state of emergency due to the imminent threat of flooding along the Mississippi River, Red River and other state bodies of water.

Recent heavy rains have sparked flooding concerns from Shreveport to Alexandria along the Red River. These same rains have officials in Baton Rouge and New Orleans keeping a close eye on the Mississippi River as well.

The National Weather Service expects the Mississippi River to reach flood stage by as early as this Sunday, and potentially 44 feet by January 19.

Flood stage is set at 35 feet in Baton Rouge. The levees protect to at least 47 feet.

Louisiana officials, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, are looking at how they can make things more stable.

It looks like the Morganza Spillway will be opened by Saturday. The Army Corps of Engineers mandated that the spillway be opened when the water volume increases to 1.5 million cubic feet per second (cfs) along the Mississippi River at the Red River Landing. Currently it's running at a 1.45 million cfs clip and by late Friday the Corps expects it to reach the 1.5 million cfs mark.