Posted on 05/10/2011 10:12:16 PM PDT by chemicalman
BUTTE LAROSE, La. |
Ripples of fear rose Tuesday along the normally placid bayous of the Atchafalaya basin, the corridor through which a torrent of surging water could be unleashed if authorities decide in coming days to ease the strain on Mississippi River levees by opening the Morganza Spillway northwest of Baton Rouge.
(Excerpt) Read more at theledger.com ...
The thing is "the river was expected to crest at 64 feet . . .". Of course this depends on location and the width between the levees.
In the whole of Louisiana, the levees are usually the highest ground. Heck a tide of 10 feet floods half the state.
Now, can the Atchafalaya, itself, handle some flow without flooding?
If they have to open the Morganza spillway, not a chance.
And we'e talking more water than 1973. That almost destroyed Morgan City.
Thibodaux is barely 7 feet above sea level. What are they growing down there? Rice, beans?
yitbos
Port Gibson..one of my favorite towns along 61.
The “Corpse” of Engineers can manage that for you; just ask the Missouri farmers.
Friends in Vidalia have moved many of their possessions to Natchez. Unfortunately, I understand that only about a third of the people in Vidalia have Flood Insurance. Very sad situation.
I knew a guy who inherited some land in the Sacramento CA delta.
The levies there are nearly certain to fail in the next few years, they are scarcely maintained at all.
He liked the land he got, practically on the river.
Knowing the levee situation he cam up with a SIMPLE answer!
He built a barge with a nice little cottage sitting on it.
The barge acts as his basement and storage space.
The cottage is nicer than the average tract home.
It sits on the ground, but if the levee breaks it will float up without harm.
He will have to disconnect from the water and electric, but he has storage tanks and a generator.
The barge is well anchored, with plenty of chain to keep it in place.
If I lived in a “Spillway” I think I would take this guy as an example of superior planning.
Thanks. I love John McPhee. I have been reading this article for hours, and I’m still not done. This is really good stuff. It makes me very afraid for the people living near that river.
I was reading about the old river project the other day and one thing I noticed was they are more than concerned that if the old river structures are undermined that the Mississippi will make a permanent change in course down the Atchafalaya that will be impossible to change.
Thanks for the link! The article is well worth reading again.
It would be so easy to sabotage those flimsy levees and cause a huge amount of economic damage to the Delta and downstream cities and farms. It’s a crying shame how they have been so mismanaged. Course that’s California we are talking about.
If the land along the river were unowned (and if flood insurance didn’t pay to rebuild structures in severe flood plains repeatedly), maybe engineers could in some places dig diversion basins or form double levees to contain the excess water in flood years - but maybe the amount of water is so immense that at certain times it will flood everything. The water table has to be about two feet below the surface in a lot of areas so a diversion lake probably would fill up in no time. I presume it’s hard to build quarries or other big excavation projects.
Sounds like a very smart man.
He did a really cool story/book on the subject of oranges, too. He made oranges interesting.
... the U.S. taxpayer will pick up the tab, because in today's America you aren't allowed to suffer the consequences of your decisions.
In 1927 the Corps of Engineers blew 1500’ of levee south of New Orleans to lower the pressure/level upstream. I wonder if they are looking at something like this again?
That is very clever and flood insurance not necessary.
Let’s see—another crisis—how can 0 benefit?
Watch out!
No — in today’s America you aren’t allowed to suffer the consequences of your decisions. UNLESS YOU LIVE IN TEXAS wildfire areas.
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