WI the Old River Control Structure fails in 1973?

NthBelisarius

In the 1973 Mississippi Floods the Old River Control Structure almost failed. Had it done so, the present course of the Mississipi River would likely have changed, because the Atchafalaya is a shorter and steeper route to the sea. There's a fantastic New Yorker article about this here, and information on the ORCS here.

In OTL the structure held and nothing really changed. Let's say it doesn't hold. What would be the effects of this? Would the Atchafalaya permanently capture the river and reroute it? Or could ORCS be restored in time?
 
Mad Bad Rabbit

Mad Bad Rabbit

NthBelisarius said:
In the 1973 Mississippi Floods the Old River Control Structure almost failed. Had it done so, the present course of the Mississipi River would likely have changed, because the Atchafalaya is a shorter and steeper route to the sea. There's a fantastic New Yorker article about this here, and information on the ORCS here.

In OTL the structure held and nothing really changed. Let's say it doesn't hold. What would be the effects of this? Would the Atchafalaya permanently capture the river and reroute it? Or could ORCS be restored in time?
Click to expand...

WI: The Old River fails; Atchafalaya captures the Mississippi

For about a century and a half, the United States Army Corps has been engaged in a slow motion battle with Mother Nature. The Mississippi River with its sand and silt has created most of Louisiana. It could not have done so by remaining in one channel. Instead, for most its history, the river...
www.alternatehistory.com
 

NthBelisarius

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