Mississippi River

Names Great One Father of Waters “Great River” “Big River” Derived from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi ("Great River") or gichi- ziibi ("Big River") at its headwaters.

Importance 2,350 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico Transports a half-billion tons of sediment each year Provides food and water Fertile land: provides alluvial soil which is deposited by a river on its banks, beds, and mouth Provides jobs Used for transportation Makes new land

Course of the Mississippi River River changes courses every years occurs because the deposits of sediment begin to clog river’s channel, raising the river's level River takes the shortest route to the Gulf of Mexico Rivers are LAZY, they seek the path of least resistance

Mississippi River Delta area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico. Alluvium: fertile soil deposited by a river along banks, beds, and mouth

years ago: Maringouin years ago: Teche years ago: St. Bernard years ago: Lafourche Today: Plaquemines Future: Atchafalaya? Location of Deltas

Future of Miss. River Delta In the last 100 years, the river has been diverting more of its flow to the Atchafalaya River which branches off some 60 miles northwest of New Orleans. In the mid-20th century, engineers observed the Mississippi was trying to change courses to the Atchafalaya Basin.

The Great Flood: 1927 Spring 1927 Heavy rains, melting snow filled the Mississippi River with rushing water Breaks in levees> sent water roaring all over the land Carried roofs of houses, dead cows, snake filled tree branches and almost anything else More than 70 levee breaks sent flood water over 16 million acres of land 200 or more killed 700,000 homeless

Saving the People

The worst natural disaster in the nation’s history Left one million homeless Floodwaters covered the entire lower Mississippi Valley for several months Dynamite was used to blow up the levee at Poydras (in St. Bernard)to relieve pressure on the New Orleans’ levee system, which made it worse Plaquemines and St. Bernard were flooded Saving the City

Modern Levee System Flood led Congress to pass the Mississippi Valley Flood Control Act: a massive levee system that was designed to prevent such disasters from ever happening again. Provided more than $300 million for flood control

River Control Systems River Control System Activity

Old River Control Structure  1960’s: This huge dam was built at the head of the Atchafalaya River  Allows ¼ of the Mississippi’s water and all of the Red River’s water to flow into the Atchafalaya.  Keeps the Miss. from changing course down the Atchafalaya

Old River Control Structure

Bonnet Carré Constructed upstream from New Orleans on river’s east bank During floods, ¼ of the Miss. can be diverted through spillway into Lake Ponchartrain Relieves pressure from New Orleans’ levee system

Bonnet Carré

Morganza Spillway Located on the west bank of the Miss. River upstream from Baton Rouge During floods, protects the levee system by diverting water out of the Miss. River into the Atchafalaya Basin.

Morganza Spillway

Coastal Erosion Erosion: gradual wearing away of the land by the action of wind or water Louisiana> 25 to 35 sq. miles a year lost (two football fields disappears every hour); Hurricane Katrina destroyed 64,000 acres in one day

Reasons for Coastal Erosion Flood Control: Levees, locks, dams, and floodgates prevent the river from overflowing its banks to rebuild the land Global warming is also impacting our coastal marshes Salt water intrusion: Oil pipelines and canals Hurricanes

How to prevent Coastal Erosion? Stricter regulations on the use of the wetlands Restoration projects: marsh grass seedlings planted and annual beach sweep Sand is pumped onto barrier islands to keep them from eroding away Diversion Projects: diverts sediment from Mississippi River through the levees

Areas of Coastal Erosion

Loss of Wetlands

Barrier Islands after Katrina