„Old River Control Structure“ – Versionsunterschied
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The '''Old River Control Structure''' is an edifice built by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] at the divergence of the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] and [[Atchafalaya River]]s in order to maintain the water distribution between the two, at 70% and 30%, respectively. This was done in response to the increasing amounts of water flowing from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya, due to the latter's shorter and increasingly steeper course to the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The [[floodgate]] system was completed in 1963. The complex is located at [[river mile]] 315 on the [[lower Mississippi]]—{{convert|315|mi|km|0}} up the river from the Gulf of Mexico.
If allowed to flow freely, the Atchafalaya would capture the main flow of the Mississippi, forcing it to bypass its current path through [[Baton Rouge]] and [[New Orleans]]. The likelihood of this event increases each year.
The details of the Old River Control system are explored in the "Atchafalaya" section of the book ''[[The Control of Nature]]'' by [[John McPhee]].
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