Old River Control Structure

Old River Control Structure is a system of three dams with flood valves on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the north of Louisiana at River Mile 315, so 507 km above the Head of Passes (where the main arm of the river divides into three estuaries, which in itself the Gulf of Mexico empty ). The building complex is located at the point where the Atchafalaya River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, separated from the main arm. The property was built in 1963, completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to regulate the amount of water that can flow from the Mississippi River into the Atchafalaya River. If these structures do not exist, would flow much more water into the system of the Atchafalaya River from because this river to the Gulf of Mexico is much shorter and more steeply than the main branch of the Mississippi River. Usually, the water distribution is maintained such that 70 percent of the amount of water left in the main arm and can anfließen 30 percent in the Atchafalaya River.

Purpose

The Old River Control Structure is necessary to prevent the Atchafalaya River to it to tap into the waters of the Mississippi River main arm, so there is a flow displacement. In such a case, most of the water of the river would flow through the Atchafalaya Basin and the Atchafalaya River and the current main arm through Baton Rouge and New Orleans would receive far less water. Some scientists believe that natural processes increase the likelihood of such an event from year to year, despite the construction of flood protection. The reasons include the length of the flow path, which is 507 km long over Baton Rouge and New Orleans to Head of Passes, but over the Atchafayala River only 228 km, ie a much stronger gradient is present.

Consequences of a collapse

If either the Old River Control Structure and the Morganza Spillway on buildings would fail, the consequences for the state of Louisiana, the region and the country as a whole and also for international trade would be immense. The main channel of the river would probably move into the Old River, Atchafalaya River and Basin Atchafalya, at Baton Rouge and New Orleans over. The existing ports would have to be relocated, Morgan City and many other smaller settlements to be relocated. The traffic on the road, railway and inland waterways would be affected. The changing patterns of sedimentation and erosion would lead to the emergence of new riverbeds and floodplains would shift. Changes in the salinity of the coastal waters near the existing and new delta would impact on flora and fauna in the area, fishing, beaches, marshes, coastal development and infrastructure have.

Floods in 1973 and 2011

When the floods in 1973 the building complex was damaged. During the Mississippi flood of 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened the Morganza Spillway near located to reduce a portion of the water pressure to various dikes and other structures for flood protection, including the Old River Control Structure is one.

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