2019 Mississippi River

[Ragin4U]

More #Ulmer aftermath. There used to be a bridge across the Niobrara river here. It was one of at least four bridges across the Niobrara that were destroyed/compromised. #icejams #nebraskaflooding #flooding pic.twitter.com/w7TbxqsoNf

— Myra Hipke Richardson (@NEmyrich) March 15, 2019

The amount of ice piled along the shore is unbelievable. That's my 6' cousin standing there, and it's probably twice as tall on the back side. #Ulmer #nebraskaflooding #Nebraska #icejam pic.twitter.com/QWKcXONIJw

— Myra Hipke Richardson (@NEmyrich) March 15, 2019

We walked about 1/4 mile around ice like this to get to the river. There are acres of it piled in the trees and on the road. #nebraskaflooding #icejam #Nebraska #ice pic.twitter.com/xD2CrsBMtw

— Myra Hipke Richardson (@NEmyrich) March 15, 2019

[HelmutVII]

That's a he'll of a lot of ice. It's going to melt one day and all that water will come through the Mississippi.

[ZoomZoom]

Bridge floating away in NE

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HQlWY_COvuk

[zephyr]

I had to drive back from Plaquemine on Friday and took the "back way" through Pierre Part and Morgan City due to that I-10 closure. Never been back that way but waterways like the Avoca Island Cutoff were swollen to the point they was lying water on the roadways.

[HelmutVII]

The Mississippi river at Vicksburg is down about 0.3 foot in the last three or four days. Baton Ruoge is holding steady. They are prdictiong the river to continue to recede at Vicksburg until March 30. We shall see.

[HelmutVII]

The entire length of the Mississippi river is above flood stage. This includes those areas where snow melt has not started.

Some roads are closed due to high water in lower St. Martin parish.

[Boomer]

The entire length of the Mississippi river is above flood stage. This includes those areas where snow melt has not started.

Some roads are closed due to high water in lower St. Martin parish.

.......So now what? Gates open ? What happened to the receding that was happening? Thanks so much for filling us in with the info!!!

[HelmutVII]

.......So now what? Gates open ? What happened to the receding that was happening? Thanks so much for filling us in with the info!!!

The water is holding steady and is predicted to recede. Morganza gates will be opened only when the conditions warrant.

[Ragin4U]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshal.../#7bbc97e950a8

A good article that explains the cascade of events that led to the flooding in the Mid-West and may contribute to our issues in the lower Mississippi.
Don't get nervous ya snowflakes, they don't mention anthropogenic climate change.

[snote]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...xJWNXSHQeJm4wA

[CajunNation]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_ro...xJWNXSHQeJm4wA

These quotes caught my eye...

In 1900, around 5 percent of the water from the Red River and the upper Mississippi was going down the Atchafalaya; by the 1950s, the Atchafalaya was collecting about 30 percent, said Tulane University professor Mead Allison, director of physical processes and sediment systems at the Water Institute in Baton Rouge.

Had the trend been allowed to continue, the Atchafalaya would have become the predominant path of the Mississippi River by the 1970s or 1980s, Allison said.

The most extreme proposal he’s heard is to allow the Mississippi River to adopt the Atchafalaya channel, but to use tools like the control structure to make sure the switch happens in a gradual, scheduled way. Barnett emphasized that he is not advocating that path, though it would put an end to the Corps’ “arms race with mother nature.”

What Barnett calls the most extreme proposal is actually the most practical. We've seen the warning signs. Will we ignore them? What will the next generation think of us when the story of how 100,000 people drowned gets told because we stuck our heads in the mud?

[HelmutVII]

These quotes caught my eye...






What Barnett calls the most extreme proposal is actually the most practical. We've seen the warning signs. Will we ignore them? What will the next generation think of us when the story of how 100,000 people drowned gets told because we stuck our heads in the mud?

I think they need to understand the significance of salt water intrusion up the Mississippi River up to Baton rouge (Possibly). This should not be underestimated as the amount of coastal erosion would be extreme. The salt water would kill all, what is now, native vegetation and result in bare soil that would easily erode. Also, the cities that rely on the Mississippi for drinking water would have to modify their water treatment plants to remove salt from the water.

[CajunNation]

I think they need to understand the significance of salt water intrusion up the Mississippi River up to Baton rouge (Possibly). This should not be underestimated as the amount of coastal erosion would be extreme. The salt water would kill all, what is now, native vegetation and result in bare soil that would easily erode. Also, the cities that rely on the Mississippi for drinking water would have to modify their water treatment plants to remove salt from the water.

No doubts about all of that Helmut, but either we start the process now so that plans can be made and decisions discussed ad nauseum about a controlled course change or we dredge the entire Mississippi River.

We are past the time of trying to tame the river. It is letting us know this every year. When will we listen?

[HelmutVII]

See the image below for an over view of the ORCS/ Morganza complex. ORCS complex is in the upper portion of the image and is located by a push pin. It consists of three structures. Starting upstream there is the hydro power plant, the low sill structure (this is where they had the failure during the 1973 event) and the Auxiliary Structure. These three structures discharge to a channel heading west. This channel forms a "tee" at the location where the Red River Ends and the Atchafalaya river begins. A little further downstream on the Mississippi River are the Old River Locks. This is where navigation between the Mississippi and the Atchafalaya takes place. Further downstream on the Mississippi at the middle of the bottom of the photo is the Morganza spillway. This is where a majority of the water is diverted during a flood event.

This location is where prehistory and history took place. It is also a place where history might be written. We may live to see it, maybe not. If the ORCS fails I would think that Simmsport would be a good place not to be. Just sayin.

[HelmutVII]

This is a close up of the ORCS complex, Red River and Atchafalaya River area.