2019 Mississippi River

[Cajunrunner]

Erosion has been around a long time before the cumbustion engine. It's the caveman's fault, he learned to start a fire.

I blaming whatever mammal let out the first fart.

[CajunNation]

From what I gather Morgan City and surrounding cities would be lost. It is highly likely that bridges that cross the Atchafalaya would be lost as well based on my reading. It would be a catastrophic event, pipelines lost, economy would suffer.

If the ORCS failed, Morgan City would have 48 hours to evacuate, forever.

[cajun4life]

Follow this link

http://mississippiriverdelta.org/wha.l-restoration/

You might want to read this research paper. you will have to go through the usual process to download.

https://www.academia.edu/15232325/Ex.tern_Louisiana

One of the issues involves is the Oyster beds south of New Orleans. Too much sediment kills the oyster habitat.

Personally I could care less about oyster beds that weren’t originally there to begin with. Those beds were seeded in areas that were historically freshwater marsh. It’s time that they should be returned to freshwater marsh supplied by the river imo.

It will never happen though.

[Cajunrunner]

1973 was a significant event. They almost lost a wing wall for the low sill structure. Follow the link for a brief discussion of the ORCS Morganza complex.

http://www.americaswetlandresourceserControl.html

I drove through the Morganza complex in 2011. It was scary, the Mississippi river was wide, very very very wide. I would suspect that one day the Atchafalaya will eventually capture the Mississippi river one day as it is the shortest route to the Gulf of Mexico. (The energy grade line is steeper down the Atchafalaya than the Mississippi and the only thing in it's way is the ORCS)

this is a US Corps of Engineers link

https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Porta.olBrochure.pdf

During the Acadiana summer flood of 2016, we were driving back to Lafayette from Tennessee. The original plan was to head down through Mississippi and catch I-10. Then a portion of either I-55 or I-59 had collapsed, and there was flooding in the areas East of BR.

We only had to go back to Lafayette to get the family dog before heading back to Sugar Land the next day, so we debated leaving the dog another week, but then I decided we’d route through Natchez, Jonesville and Alex to I-49 to get us to Lafayette by midnight so I could sleep a bit.

Well.for some reason with it dark I got confused and took LA 15 South out of Ferriday and before I realized it, we were on along the Mississippi and too late to turn around without losing significant time, so I made sure to creep into any water that was on the road, and there was lots of patches of water.

Water wasn’t coming over the levee, but it was almost as if the force of the river was causing saturation through the ground and rising to the top along the roadway. We eventually made it down to Melville and Port Barre before getting on I-49. Vehicles parked at the welcome center at that exit were completely under water.

EDIT: Now that I decided to revisit a map, remember now that we did go West in LA 360 out of Bayou Current to Pametto, then through Lebeau to I49. Was quite an adventure that late at night knowing areas all around us were under water.

[Boomer]

Please BWK return with your input on the subject matter!

[Ragin4U]

Subsidence is a significant if not the most significant cause of coastal erosion.

As well as altered stream hydrology not allowing for normal deposition.

[CajunNation]

Anybody have any thoughts/news about the River, the subject of the thread, not related to politics, religion or any other completely unrelated tropic?

[cajun4life]

Anybody have any thoughts/news about the River, the subject of the thread, not related to politics, religion or any other completely unrelated tropic?

I’d be willing to bet that they open the Morgansa Spillway. We have tremendous floodwaters headed out way from upriver. Opening the Bonnet Carre isn’t going to relieve enough pressure on the river.

[MetryCajun]

I’d be willing to bet that they open the Morgansa Spillway. We have tremendous floodwaters headed out way from upriver. Opening the Bonnet Carre isn’t going to relieve enough pressure on the river.

Will be interesting to monitor. They are not planning to open all of the Bonnet Carre at this time. Morganza will be a last resort option.

[cajun4life]

Will be interesting to monitor. They are not planning to open all of the Bonnet Carre at this time. Morganza will be a last resort option.

There is speculation that BR will crest just shy of 49’. Anything over 48’ will tip the levees at BR.

[Cajunrunner]

There is speculation that BR will crest just shy of 49’. Anything over 48’ will tip the levees at BR.

Don’t we have a couple RPers who are experienced with these matters?

[Duckster]

The latest river stage at Red River Landing near the ORCS is 57.95'. Rising almost 6"daily. Flood stage is 48'. The record high flood stage was in May 2011 at 63.39'.

If Jim Cantore shows up you know what happens next.

[Cajunfanatico]

The latest river stage at Red River Landing near the ORCS is 57.95'. Rising almost 6"daily. Flood stage is 48'. The record high flood stage was in May 2011 at 63.39'.

If Jim Cantore shows up you know what happens next.

Can't see Cantore's name without thinking about that idiot before a hurricane made landfall somewhere along the gulf coast.

"Okay, when it comes ashore, what we're going to see is a lot of wind and rain".

No ____ Sherlock.

[Cajunfanatico]

There is speculation that BR will crest just shy of 49’. Anything over 48’ will tip the levees at BR.

Tip the levees or top the levees? If it tips 'em, will that be like Guam tipping over?

[CajunJeaux]

May be a stupid question. but would water have any possibility of reaching Lafayette in worst case scenario????