The thing is "the river was expected to crest at 64 feet . . .". Of course this depends on location and the width between the levees.
In the whole of Louisiana, the levees are usually the highest ground. Heck a tide of 10 feet floods half the state.
Now, can the Atchafalaya, itself, handle some flow without flooding?
If they have to open the Morganza spillway, not a chance.
And we'e talking more water than 1973. That almost destroyed Morgan City.
Thibodaux is barely 7 feet above sea level. What are they growing down there? Rice, beans?
yitbos
I was reading about the old river project the other day and one thing I noticed was they are more than concerned that if the old river structures are undermined that the Mississippi will make a permanent change in course down the Atchafalaya that will be impossible to change.
If the land along the river were unowned (and if flood insurance didn’t pay to rebuild structures in severe flood plains repeatedly), maybe engineers could in some places dig diversion basins or form double levees to contain the excess water in flood years - but maybe the amount of water is so immense that at certain times it will flood everything. The water table has to be about two feet below the surface in a lot of areas so a diversion lake probably would fill up in no time. I presume it’s hard to build quarries or other big excavation projects.