<> BREAKING NEWS <> Mississippi River overflow about to destruct all the levees on Atchafalaya River barrier <> List of towns at ris

wow last image is amazing, what they design to make the MS River squared by flooding large parts of cities

[link to www.americaswetlandresources.com]


this tells the complete story with pictures

OP was right on with the concern for what could happen

THANK YOU ICE ! This was the kind of information I was looking for. My family lives in the Hub of Acadiana and I have been sharing this thread information with him. Up till now, I did not understand the catalyst for potential flood problems of the areas mentioned by the original poster of this thread.

God you americans panic over everthing, there is nothing going to happen at all your just panicking for nothing as usual like you alwsy do, you will be tellin me next that osama was really killed a few days ago, morons.
WHEN BUGGER ALL HAPPEN TODAY OR TOMORROW COME BACK AND SAY SORRY , GOD YOUR SUCH MORONS.

the Corps is very much aware of this major concern and they are not stupid as we like to think

I know many in this group and they are 100% all in

in NOT alowing this to happen

take heart in the effort but massive water is a massive concern !!

pray

OMG Ice, did you read the details from that link??????
Here is what they say would happen:

One of the reasons that people suggested that the Atchafalaya would eventually "capture" (that is, the main flow of water through our state would exit Morgan City instead of its present location at the mouth of the Mississippi) is that the distance is so much shorter and steeper to the Gulf via the Atchafalaya than the meandering Mississippi:

ORCS to Gulf via Atchafalaya: 142 mi
ORCS to Gulf via Mississippi: 335 mi
If the events of 1973, as described above happened, how would life on the lower Mississippi and Louisiana coast change? Would the present-day Mississippi River suddenly dry up? Would a fisherman sitting by the river see it go "glub, glub, glub," with fish flopping around in the mud? Would ship traffic stop on the river? Would there be any impact at all? The following description of possible life after the change is excerpted from Kazmann and Johnson (1980:10-16).

In the aftermath of the huge floods that would cause the main flow of the river to jump to the Atchafalaya River, aside from the cost, anxiety, tragedy, and aggravation of dealing with massive amounts of water being in the wrong place, there would be lingering issues that would change the way of life on the lower Mississippi. Instead of 70% flow down the lower Mississippi and 30% flow down the Atchafalaya, the percentages would probably reverse. The Atchafalaya would be a rushing, raging river, even during the fall for a period of time until it scoured the channel and filled in the lower reaches so that the flow would diminish. Morgan City would have to be relocated, as would other communities and many businesses, possibly including the massive infrastructure of the offshore oil and gas industry. Fisheries would be altered measurably all across the delta. Oyster reefs would be immediately destroyed, and would take several years to reestablish and become productive (no erysters!). It would probably take two decades to adapt to the new environment around present day Morgan City. Additionally, pipelines, bridges, and the like that cross the Atchafalaya would be destroyed or rendered unsafe. The ruptured natural gas pipelines would place stress on fuel supplies for energy companies, but they would quickly change to more costly fuel sources and have little or no interruption of service. Imagine the traffic jams when and if bridges on I-10, U.S. 90, and U.S. 190 collapse (what about the railroads)? All trans-state traffic would have to be rerouted to I-20 via I-55 through Jackson, Mississippi, adding up to 615 miles to the trip (not to mention time delays from the traffic jams). The protective levees of the Atchafalaya Basin would have to be upgraded to handle the new pressure from spring flows. And, oh my gosh, think of the negative impact on the crawfish supply!

The lower Mississippi would still have a copious amount of water, but it would be slack compared to today. Shipping could continue to be an important industry, but it would be interrupted for a time. The slack water would allow (cause) the thalweg to fill in and stop deep-draft shipping. However, after intensive dredging efforts it may be found that a 50 ft channel can be easily maintained because of the tremendous decrease in sediment. New Orleans, possibly Baton Rouge, and all other cities and towns along the lower Mississippi would no longer be able to get their drinking water from the river. It would become too salty, since the lower fresh water flow would not offset the tidal movement of the Gulf. Can you imagine the cost of piping or trucking enough drinking (and flushing, etc.) water from north of Lake Pontchartrain to supply the needs of Greater New Orleans? Can you imagine Greater New Orleans without water for drinking and sanitation? Even when the water was just barely increasing in salinity, there would be severe damage to water heaters, fire sprinklers, fire truck pumping systems, and more. The quality of our coffee! As mentioned above, the fisheries (especially those associated with the fresh water river) would suddenly change. And what about the massive petrochemical industry corridor? Aside from the impact on shipping, which they could weather over time, industry could no longer use fresh river water for thermo-electric cooling. The saltier water would corrode all the pipes and related instrumentation. Of course, industry would change to salt-tolerant materials, but that would be costly and time consuming. Also, the sugarcane industry would have problems without sufficient fresh water.

All of this adjustment, and we have not delved into the intensity of impact on people's lives during the crisis and the adjustment period. All normal routines would stop. Businesses would be closed, as would schools, normal government, etc., etc. Virtually the entire population would spend months and months just coping - just putting their and others' lives back together. Imagine the emotional strain to the population - people losing a lifetime of accomplishment. This would be a tragedy of monumental proportions. It would interrupt life much like World War II.

One can also imagine the impact on the nation. Massive use of Federal dollars to protect and restore Louisiana's infrastructure. Loss of natural gas (there would be brown-outs throughout the eastern seaboard). Commerce would be interrupted by restriction of travel and Louisiana=s inability to focus on supplying items traditionally demanded from her natural resources by the nation. Prices of all Louisiana products (from the natural resources [fisheries, oil, gas] to industrial products [poly vinyl chloride, polyethelene, etc.]) would soar. The interruption of the pogie fisheries would be very negative for such food industries as chicken, catfish, and hogs (see the last section of the notes). New Orleans is one of the most important ports in the nation, and it would suddenly cease to function; all shipping and related industries on the Mississippi River would stop. International trade would be further imbalanced. The massive fertilizer business would shut down and the agriculture industry would falter.

And what about the economy of south Louisiana? For a period of time, all the revenue would dry up and tourism would collapse. Even Mardi Gras would possibly come to a halt!!! Only the mosquitoes would do well! And probably the cockroaches and Formosan termites.

Long term, we would adapt. Once the drinking and sanitation water issues were resolved, tourism would return. Coastal erosion could be reversed on the west side of the present-day Mississippi River. Shrimp, oysters, and other fisheries would probably flourish after a number of years due to new marshes being produced and nutrient rich sediments being redistributed.

This would obviously place a lot of stress on at least two generations of residents. We would survive, but it would be a new Louisiana and Mississippi River delta.


64 lbs per cubic ft of water and think about how much water we are talking about

It seems the Army Corps of Engineers is reducing its commitment to the Mississippi and letting the river straighten out. If they're letting it flood from above Cairo IL straight to New Madrid MO, that's a big straightening. If it goes down the Atchafalaya, that's another straightening.

As with much built up structures, it seems the US government is forcing a return to nature. Let nature take its course. Similarly, we are no longer allowed to drain wetlands or divert water from them. Don't even emit CO2, virtually the most common molecule there is, into the atmosphere. Don't smoke outdoors in NYC. And so on.

I don't see any engineering sense to what they are doing on the Mississippi. Seems more like a different agenda.

Are there any Nuclear Power Plants in the water's potential path??????