Levees watched as river rises

The Army Corps of Engineers has increased its surveillance of the state’s Mississippi River levees as the swollen river continues to rise.

Although the river isn’t expected to overrun or breach the levees, water levels are higher than they’ve been in a decade, said Col. Alvin B. Lee, commander of the corps’ New Orleans district office.

Engineers are monitoring the levees around the clock, Lee said, in anticipation of a forecast that the river will crest in New Orleans at 17 feet on April 16. That’s 1 1/2 feet higher than predicted, the result of heavy rains.