With the Mississippi River expected to crest at 15 1/2 feet in New Orleans on Tuesday (March 22), the Army Corps of Engineers has ordered more inspections and more restrictions on work on and near levees and floodwalls. The Atchafalaya River is expected to crest at almost 7 1/4 feet in Morgan City on Friday,

The increased height of the Mississippi will not require opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway, officials said. However, water continues to leak through the wooden needles in the spillway weir, resulting in higher than normal water levels between the river and Lake Pontchartrain.

The Phase II inspections and restrictions are imposed in areas along the Mississippi below Baton Rouge when the river rises above 15 feet at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans and is continuing to rise. Monday's river forecast does not indicate the river dropping below 15 feet until after Saturday.

Bonnet Carre Spillway: Its 22-day opening, by the numbers

Increased inspections and restrictions are expected on the Atchafalaya beginning Wednesday, when that river is forecast to reach almost 6 3/4 feet in Morgan City. The river was predicted to rise to almost 7 feet in Morgan City on Saturday.

The additional inspections are conducted by the corps and local levee districts. "Increased patrols help ensure the corps and levee districts' ability to respond quickly to any areas of concern that may develop along the levee system because of the elevated water levels," the corps said.

When water levels in New Orleans reach 11 feet and rising, all work within 1,500 feet of river levees must be suspended unless a waiver is granted by the corps and the local levee districts. When the water level reaches 15 feet, all work is suspended.

The latest increase in flood-fighting efforts was triggered by heavy rains throughout the Mississippi River Vally during the past two weeks, the latest in a string of high-river events dating back more than a year. The corps and New Orleans area levee districts have operated under Phase I or Phase II flood fight rules for 232 days between March 15, 2015, and Monday.