NEW ORLEANS - Reports say the Bonnet Carre Spillway will likely be opened next week due to the projected flow of water down the Mississippi River.

Next week's opening would be the third time in four years, according to WWL-TV.  

According to Ricky Boyett, with the Army Corps of Engineers, officials could possibly open the spillway in the middle of next week. Experts say a "trigger" for an opening is a projected river flow of 1.25 million cubic feet per second.

New Orleans river levees are designed to handle that much pressure, but anything above that level means the spillway has to be opened.