Rigolets
| Rigolets | |
|---|---|
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 |
_-_2016_NOAA_nautical_chart.png){kind=link}
Rigolets is a 8-mile-long (13 km) 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. It forms the boundary between New Orleans (Orleans Parish) and St. Tammany Parish.