Throughout time the Mississippi River has always shifted its path to the Gulf of Mexico.
When it threatened to jump course to the Atchafalaya River, the Old River Control Structure was built in Louisiana.
This infrastructure keeps the Mississippi on its present course past New Orleans and prevents a shift, which would disrupt communities, navigation, farming, and more in the Delta.
Old River Control Structure directs 70 percent of the water down the Mississippi and allows 30 percent to enter the Atchafalaya, an incredible and consequential exertion of human control of nature.
Mississippi By Nature series supported by the Walton Family Foundation and outfitted by Patagonia
#water #watersolutions #watermanagement #waterinfrastructure #mississippiriver #environment
