atchafalaya-river

Mile 6.9 RBD — Three Rivers Junction

John Ruskey

26 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

The Red River flows in from the north and together with water drawn off the Mississippi forms the beginning of the Atchafalaya River. The Red and the Mississippi meet four miles upstream. As you know, there is no flow through the Lower Old River Channel you just paddled. The Mississippi River water was already added upstream through the various channels Inflowing from the control structures. Approximately one third of the daily average flow of the Mississippi is to be kept flowing down the Atchafalaya. That figure 30% is a Congressional mandate. The Red River flow is augmented by the Old River Control structures which are opened or closed according to need to augment the flow of the Red and maintain the 30% flow.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, huge floods along the Mississippi River increased the size of the channel and the carrying capacity of the Atchafalaya River until concern mounted that it might capture most of the flow and redirect the Mississippi again. Congress directed the US Army Corps of Engineers to build a control structure that would allow restriction of the flow down the Atchafalaya River to 30% of the total flow down the Mississippi and the Red Rivers. The 70-30 split, as it came to be known, was approximately the breakdown of the flow in the 1950s and was thought to be a reasonable choice that would allow the Mississippi River to maintain its current route. The Corps completed the first elements of the control apparatus in the 1960’s. (Friends of the Atchafalaya)

Red River

The Red River begins in New Mexico...

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