Comparing The Atchafalaya And The Mississippi River

Developments of The Atchafalaya and The Mississippi River Mankind makes various attempts in withholding the natural flow of the river using; dams, floodways, channels, and many more uses to hold back the water. However, over time the water decays and causes these obstacles to be weakened. Construction has to happen very often in order to keep the hold on the rivers. Many think that the rivers will eventually break through mankind’s hold. Scientist believe that in only a matter of time the Atchafalaya will break through human barriers and run together with the Mississippi River. The Mississippi’s water is provided by the Atchafalaya, in fact it is said that if the Old River Control System had not been built then the Atchafalaya would have already broken through to the Mississippi River and taken over. Because the Mississippi is such a useful body of water it is important that the Corps do not allow this to happen. Transportation is highly dependable on the Mississippi;

Local interests had to pay one half of what the commissions used to create the levees that made to try to prevent flooding. The district of where the levees were also had the costs and jobs of maintaining the maintenance that the levees needed. River and Harbor Acts were passed along with Flooding Control Act. This all was well with the Mississippi River Commission until the flood that changed it all, the flood of 1927. This flood is still the biggest and most destructive flood recorded. It had so much damage that there were 300 people who died from the disaster. The water covered 17 million acres causing 236 million dollars’ worth of damage. It was a strong flood, “it was like facing an angry dark ocean. The wind was fierce enough that that day it tore away roofs, smashed windows, and blew down the smokestack- 130 feet high and 54 inches in diameter- at the giant A.G Wineman & Sons lumber mill”