Can we control the Mississippi River? Only if we can control millions of gallons of water per second carrying millions of tons of sediment using structures built not on bedrock but on 5,000 or more feet of alluvial soil.
The New Yorker had a great article about the Atchafalaya Basin in 1987. Nothing has changed. The article mixes geology, geography, hydrology, history, ethnicity, and politics. In the end, the River will change its course and bypass New Orleans and probably Baton Rouge. Because of great soil, abundant water, warm climate, oil, gas, and seafood, there will always be more people in Louisiana than can be protected from floods. This is a human drama unfolding in front of us. During my lifetime, the River is likely to change its course.
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