Schooner Bayou Control Structure The Schooner Bayou Control Structure is a flood control structure located in Vermilion Parish , Louisiana , and operated by the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers . It is part of the Mississippi Valley Division , New Orleans District , which encompasses the southern half of the state of Louisiana . General information . It is located in the enlarged White Lake to Vermilion Bay channel opposite the abandoned Schooner Bayou Lock and approximately five miles southwest of Intracoastal City . The structure is accessible only by boat . The structure is a feature of the Mermentau River and Tributaries , Louisiana , project , authorized by the Flood Control Act of 18 August 1941 , as modified by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 24 July 1946 . The purpose of the structure is to aid in preventing saltwater intrusion into the Mermentau River Basin where it would interfere with irrigation of rice lands . It also aids in the prompt and efficient release of floodwaters that may occur within the basin . The structure is operated in conjunction with Calcasieu and Leland Bowman Locks on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway ( GIWW ) , Catfish Point Control Structure on the Mermentau River , and Freshwater Bayou Lock on the south side of the basin , all of which help prevent salt water intrusion into the Mermentau River Basin . The structure was constructed under contract with Keller Construction Corporation . Work was started on August 8 , 1949 , and was completed on May 22 , 1951 , at a cost of $ 672 , 829 . 18 . There were no known problems encountered during construction on either contract . The Schooner Bayou Control Structure consists of two reinforced concrete gatebays , side - by - side , each equipped with a pair of 60 - degree steel sector gates . The sill elevation of both gatebays is - 12 . 0 with sidewalls extending to elevation 6 . 0 . The gate structures are joined at the center of the channel and offset to each other so that adjacent gate recesses overlap . Timber guidewalls are provided on both approaches to the gatebays . The structure is protected from flanking flow by earth dikes constructed on both sides of the structure . The old Schooner Bayou Lock was closed by a dike , and a new channel was provided from White Lake through the new Schooner Bayou Control Structure to the GIWW . During high water the gates will be opened to permit passage of any vessel that can navigate against the current which can attain velocities of up to 15 knots . Vessels coming from East or West can bypass the floodgates by going through North Prong - Schooner Bayou into the Intracoastal Waterway SE of Forked Island at Mile Marker 167 . Hydrologic data . Hydrologic data is collected daily consisting of pool levels , salinity readings , tide readings , water temperature , rainfall , etc . , and is posted onto public websites . These websites can be accessed at : Hurricane Rita . Hurricane Rita made landfall between Sabine Pass , Texas , and Johnson Bayou , Louisiana , at 02 : 38 CDT ( 07 : 38 UTC ) on September 24 , 2005 as a category 3 Hurricane with winds at 115 mph . Winds in Eastern Vermilion Parish were at strong tropical force / weak hurricane force causing minimal wind damage to Schooner Bayou Control Structure . But the resulting storm surge later that morning rose to a level of 10 . 5 feet above Mean Low Gulf ( MLG ) , overtopping the concrete structure by 4 . 5 feet . Saltwater damage to the structure machinery and electrical system occurred , requiring extensive repairs . The structure was returned to operational status in approximately 30 days . The main office building , which sits 9 feet above MLG , required remodeling in the entire first floor after receiving 1 . 5 feet of water inside the building . Employees returning to the site the morning after landfall found that the water level had already dropped to 6 . 5 feet above MLG as the surge waters flowed back out to sea . The gates were opened using hand cranks and backup generators to allow the flood waters to drain . The remainder of the flood waters required approximately 2 months to drain from White Lake and the Mermentau River Basin .