Atchafalaya River Basin Research Paper

Using scientific prose, Barry reveals his deep interest in the unusual physical properties of the river. Its natural characteristics are what sets it apart; the Mississippi does not conform to standards set by other rivers. Instead, it exceeds most major rivers in variation, depth, and volume. In fact, the Mississippi is so outstanding that “theories and techniques that apply to other rivers … simply do not work on the lower Mississippi” (Barry 25-28). Looking beyond its external features, the river also contains an intricate internal system unlike any other. In addition to the complicated internal circumstances that normally occur within rivers, the Mississippi also stands out because of its “size, its sediment load, its depth, variations in its bottom” and “its ability to cave in the riverbank and slide sideways for miles” (Barry 20-23). As he describes the unusual corporeal aspects of the Mississippi, Barry brings to light his own wonder in the face of such a daunting natural force. Characterizing the river with its physical properties allows

Flooding of the settlement was problematic. By 1812, the settlers had built miles of levees on the banks of the river. For the next two hundred years, the surrounding wetlands were drained to eliminate swamps filled with yellow fever carrying mosquitoes and to encourage economic development. Draining water from peaty soils encouraged subsidence. The land which was just inches above sea level to begin with steadily sank. In combat of this, higher and stronger levees were built, tightening the straight jacket already placed upon the Mississippi River. The massive flooding of 1928 brought further flood control systems implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers with Congressional blessing. By the 1950’s, dramatic rates of land loss in Louisiana’s coastal zone stretched across 300 miles from Texas to Mississippi and inland 50 miles. (Tibbetts)

The Mississippi River is highly regarded as the most important river in Louisiana. One of the lesser known rivers is just as phenomenal, however. The Atchafalaya River (pronounced At-cha-fa-lie-uh), which is adjacent to the Louisianan southern half of the Mississippi River, is so much of a phenomena that the United States Army Corps has been put in charge of controlling the river!

Repeated events, highlighted by the flood of 1993 and the fallout of Katrina, continues to illustrate the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failure in strengthening flood control up and down the Mississippi, including the redesign and upgrading levees. America is a product of this constant struggle in dominating nature using science and reason.

On August 12, the Americans of Louisiana woke up with water in their houses. A week passed, and now thousands evacuated the flooded regions around Baton Rouge. 40,000 homes were ravaged, and several were found deceased. People were stranded on highways and rooftops, trapped in deep waters infested with rodents and snakes, and floating through the destruction onto mattresses. The state has been declared a disaster area. However, national media seems entirely uninterested with this flooding - after all, it was not the first time Lousiana had to endure through a natural disaster. A multitude of critics advocated for the abandonment of Louisiana. Because Louisiana is prone to natural occurrences due to its location, critics believe that it is wholly pointless to rebuild a state that is always sinking. However, the abandonment of Louisiana would result in the movement of all the

They had thought about it but there was certain effects they just couldn’t over look. The Atchafalaya was used as a safety valve, to relieve a good deal of pressure and help keep New Orleans from ending up in Yucatan. The Atchafalaya was the source of water in the swamps and bayous of the Cajun world. The Atchafalaya was the water supply of countless towns and small cities. The Corps was not in a political or moral position to kill the Atchafalaya. The principles of nature said the more the Atchafalaya was given, the more it would want to take, because it was the deeper stream. The more it was given, the deeper it would make its bed. The Corps would have to build some kind of contraption that could give the Atchafalaya a portion of the Mississippi and at the same time prevent it from taking it all.

The state of Texas is the second largest state in the United States. Due to its location and size, it covers different geographical areas and climates. These areas support different ecosystems from deserts to coastal wetlands, with local wildlife varying with the environment. With such varied climates and yearly rainfall, it is easy to have crops growing in the east and little rainfall and an open rocky desert with cacti in the west. The geological history is also varied across the state leading to different mineral deposits by region. It is easy to see that Texas is a state with many unique areas that provide a wide variety of natural resources, native crops, and wildlife.

Why is the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin so important? Might it be because of the history it has with helping pilgrims settle in North Carolina? Or might it be because it drains not only parts of North Carolina, but also parts of South Carolinas. Some interesting information of the Yadkin River would be that there are a total number of 22 counties in the basin and, another fact would be that there is a total of 22988 acres of lakes in the basin. Another interesting fact would be that the population of the basin is about 1,463,535 people

The great flood of the Mississippi river in 1927 prompted the severing of class divisions and the extension of racial oppression. The flood caused over $350 million in property damage, 246 flood-related deaths, and a home loss of 130,00. Many african americans fled north to escape the racial oppression that resulted from the disastrous flood. Police held black african americans at gun point until they agreed to help raise the levees to protect buildings and houses from rising flood waters. After African americans started refusing to work, one got shot in the back and all the african americans fled north to escape the hardships that were brought about when the river flooded. After Hoover won presidency, he did not keep his promises to ensure

Louisiana’s coastline consists of wetlands, marshes,

The Withlacoochee River Park lies on four-hundred and six acres of land, however, the area it is essentially part of is much larger system known as the Green Swamp, a 560,000 acre area that supplies a massive amount of drinking water to our state’s population. In addition, the swamp provides habitats for a plethora of Florida’s native wildlife, including alligators, white-tailed deer, and black bears. The Green Swamp is also contains one of the largest cypress swamps in the state of Florida, meaning Withlacoochee River Park is a highly important ecological asset to Florida’s natural environment.

Louisiana has many wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal plains. One river that stretches over a great part of Louisiana is the Mississippi River. Lake Pontchartrain is the

The New York Times article, “Left to Louisiana’s Tides, a Village Fights For Time,” discusses the plight of Jean Lafitte, a town of seven thousand people located two miles below the levee protecting New Orleans. A fourth of Louisiana’s wetlands have been lost, much of which is due to intense hurricanes from 2005 to 2008. It is estimated that a football field worth of wetland disappears every 100 minutes and that in 200 years the wetlands will be completely gone. This degradation is due to climate change and human intervention in the area in pursuit of oil and farmland and in the creation of levees. Oliver A. Houck, a Tulane professor quoted in the article, claims, “It is the largest ecological catastrophe in North America since the Dust Bowl.” The loss of the wetlands puts coastal, working-class communities, many of which have lived in the area since the 1800s, in danger of washing away. Local governments

There was a large amount of money made along the Mississippi river through trade. The problem was that westward expansion was starting to become proftable for other cities while New Orleans was missing out on the opportunity (class notes). Many New Orleanians were also distrustful of the river after the yellow fever outbreak in 1853. They realized that were being too reliant on nature (Kelman, 114). In order for New Orleans to compete with the other cities it started to build its own railroads system. This allowed for New Orleans to compete with the rest of the country in the market of the west. Especially since it now had the Mississippi River and its own

Katrina hit New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29th, 2005, but the failure of the local government started before this day “by allowing building and growing in areas in low flood lands.” The local government did not regulate these land areas that have always