The Mississipi River Delta and The Nile River Delta:
Note for the Atchafalaya River Debate

Projections state that the Mississippi River Delta will be expanded as the Atchafalaya River becomes possibly the main flow for the river to the Gulf of Mexico some time in the future. Right now, due to the overflowing Mississippi River Basin, the locks at the Morganza Spillway are being opened to allow “3,000 square miles of verdant, sparsely populated farmland” to flood. This is done in an effort to drain some of the Mississippi River’s overflowing waters so that flooding does not occur in the towns of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. According to Time magazine, “each year, the federal government sends written notices warning people within the Atchafalaya River basin that the Morganza could be opend” [www.time.com].

The projections of the Mississippi River show that it will change its course towards the Atchafalaya River. Possibly engineering works should begin that would allow this natural change to occur.

The symmetry with the Nile River’s delta reflects just such a natural change. Attempting to delay or avoid a natural change in the Mississippi River’s course may become a losing battle against Nature. The current possibility of another one-hundred years’ flood today [15 May, 2011] may be a lesson in learning how to help the river acquire its natural course. .... more click