I knew I had read this long ago. Left to its own devices, the Mississippi would have moved west many many years ago and abandoned NO. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature.
I didn't learn this until last week....when I came across this folowing article
. The levee system that has been built along the river, coupled with the canal system to keep the interior of the city dry, prevent the land from being replenished by the annual spring floods. As a result, the land will continue to sink until eventually there will be nothing to stop the waters of the Gulf to rush back upon the fragile land.In addition, the fresh water that is pumped into the brackish wetlands surrounding the city is creating an ecological disaster. ...
As a result, in order to save itself from the waters surrounding it, the city of New Orleans is slowly destroying its own environment.
The final death knoll of the city may very well come from the river itself.
Scientists and environmentalists know that the Mississippi is trying to change its course that will bypass the city in favor of the shorter route to the Gulf through the Atchafalaya basin. So far, the Corps of Engineers has prevented the river from doing this. But, one day, it will happen, perhaps following a direct hit from a hurrican As late summer and early fall approach every year (hurricane season), New Orleans stands with the threat that it will lose its own lifeline. No canal system and no levee system will prevent the disaster that will follow.