May 10, 2011

Favor...book recommendation?


 I've been fascinated reading about the Ohio and Mississippi River flooding this spring.

From hearing that we had the second wettest month in history (behind January 1937 by less than a quarter inch), I started hunting down information about the 1937 flood and was stunned to learn that the 1936 flood was actually worse upriver in Pittsburgh.

I've followed onward to learning about the Morganza Spillway and the Bonnet Carre Spillway - the latter of which is fully open now, the former of which is about to be opened - and the Old River Control Structure.

From wikipedia...
If either the Old River Control Structure or the Morganza Spillway were to fail, the consequences for Louisiana, the region, the nation, and international commerce would be immense. In this event, the main channel of the lower Mississippi River would likely change permanently to the Old River and Atchafalya River channels in the Atchafalaya Basin, thus bypassing Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Existing port facilities may have to be relocated or replaced, as would Morgan City and many smaller communities. Transportation by road, rail, sea, and barge would all be dramatically affected. Sedimentation and erosion patterns would change, including development of a new river channel and delta, as well as a new pattern of floodplains. Changes to salinity of coastal waters (less saline near new delta, more saline near present delta) would affect marine life, fisheries, beaches, and coastal marshes, as well as submerged infrastructure.[5][11]
At this point, I want to go deeper. I want to read a book that presents a holistic view about our efforts to tame the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and to go down and visit these places. I want to see Cairo and Morganza, Bonnet Carre and Old River Control.

It's been fifteen some years since I read Control of Nature, and I'm looking at Mississippi Floods, but now I want to know more.

Does anybody have any idea of a book that would work for what I want?

(By the way, thanks to Frank3.0 for the top photo.)

6 comments:

Resource Girl said...

You need to read *Rising Tide*!! Absolute must read!

PHSChemGuy said...

The John Barry book? I'll give it a try this summer. Thanks

Frank said...

Glad you could use the shot! As mentioned, Rising Tide is pretty much where to start. I have been photographing up and down the river for the past few days and it is a mess. You can see some of what I have gotten on my blog (www.lemonsandbeans.com) but I will be posting more soon. Thanks Frank McMains (Frank3.0)

PHSChemGuy said...

Thanks for the openness, Frank.Your trip sounds fascinating and envy-worthy. Good luck

Frank said...

I know the post is sort of old at this point but would you mind linking back to my blog www.lemonsandbeans.com rather than to Flickr.

PS The water is down and things are drying out.

PHSChemGuy said...

Happy to change the link...and very glad to hear that the water's back down.