Rigolets | |
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The abandoned West Rigolets Light in 2004. It was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. | |
![]() NOAA Coast Survey nautical map 2016 | |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | Louisiana |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Lake Pontchartrain |
• coordinates | 30°10′40″N 89°44′40″W / 30.177778°N 89.744444°W |
Mouth | Lake Borgne |
• coordinates | 30°09′16″N 89°37′31″W / 30.154444°N 89.625278°W |
Length | 8 mi (13 km) |
Basin features | |
Tributaries | |
• left | Old Pearl River |
• right | Sawmill Pass |
Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long deepwater strait in Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word rigole, French for 'trench' or 'gutter'. The name is now locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez".
The strait begins at 30°10′40″N 89°44′40″W / 30.17778°N 89.74444°W and follows a generally eastward course to Lake Borgne, a lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico, and finally to the Gulf of Mexico, where it ends at 30°09′16″N 89°37′31″W / 30.15444°N 89.62528°W. Along with nearby Chef Menteur Pass, the Rigolets connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine in Louisiana to Lake Borgne, and then to the Gulf of Mexico.[1][2] It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.