Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11681/26582
Title: Attributes of the Lower Mississippi River batture
Authors: Biedenharn, David S.
Killgore, K. Jack
Little, Charles D., 1946-
Murphy, Catherine E.
Kleiss, Barbara A., 1958-
Keywords: Mississippi River--Floodplain ecology
Mississippi River--Floodplain morphology
Publisher: United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Mississippi Valley Division.
United States. Mississippi River Commission.
Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (U.S.)
Environmental Laboratory (U.S.)
Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.)
Series/Report no.: MRG&P ; Tech Note No. 4
Abstract: Efforts applying river engineering methods to develop navigation and flood control along the Mississippi River and its floodplain have taken place since the eighteenth century, with the most concerted efforts occurring as a result of the Flood Control Act (FCA) of 1928 following the Great Flood of 1927. The Mississippi River & Tributaries Project that was authorized from the FCA of 1928 has produced a massive, comprehensive system for flood control and channel stabilization that includes levees, channel modifications, and floodways, as well as tributary reservoirs and other basin improvements. Additionally, the development of the river for dependable navigation has generated a substantial engineering effort in terms of river training structures and dredging. The historical, present-day, and future morphology of the Mississippi River reflects an integration of all these features combined with natural factors such as floods and droughts, hurricanes, tectonic activity, geologic outcrops, climatic variability, and sea level rise. Understanding how these various factors affect the short- and long-term morphology of the river is a complex challenge for river engineers and scientists responsible for managing this system for flood control, navigation, and environmental stewardship. The Mississippi River Geomorphology and Potamology (MRG&P) Program was developed in recognition of this challenge. The MRG&P Program is a joint effort of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis, Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans Districts, conducted with the oversight of the Mississippi Valley Division and benefiting from technical contributions from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. The study reported herein is just one of many components of the MRG&P Program. The LMR Floodplain is one of the largest in the world. Although the levee system reduced the historic floodplain by >80%, the remaining land between the levees (batture) is a mosaic of different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Over 2.2 million acres are inundated at high water in the LMR including bottomland hardwoods, natural and manmade lakes, floodplain pools, sloughs, and tributary mouths. The ecological value of the batture is reflected by the high biodiversity of aquatic and terrestrial species. The batture sustains the productivity of the main channel, allowing endangered species such as pallid sturgeon to thrive in the LMR. The objectives of this study were to document the physical characteristics and ecological importance of the LMR batture areas. The study area is shown in Figure 1. For this study, all river miles are measured Above Head of Passes (AHP).
Description: MRG&P Tech Note
Gov't Doc #: MRG&P Tech Note No. 4
Rights: Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/11681/26582
http://dx.doi.org/10.21079/11681/26582
Appears in Collections:Technical Note

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