303.8 Old River Lock and Dam: Entrance to the Atchafalaya River

Go main channel around Shreve’s Bar for access to the Atchafalaya River, your best route to the Gulf of Mexico. Also: direct access upstream to the Red River, Ouachita River, Bayou Bartolomew, and all other tributaries upstream. Access to the Three Rivers WMA, Red River WMA, and Lake Ophelia NWR.

Fork in the Road. Gulf-Bound Paddlers: here is where you must make your final decision about industry or wilderness. Go right through the Old River Lock & Dam to get to the wild Atchafalaya River. Or stay on main channel Mississippi for the industry. You will be fine either route. If you have gotten this far, you have obviously learned how to paddle the river in all conditions. Still, one way might be torturous, and the other a peaceful culmination of all of the beauty you have experienced so far. The road not taken. The choice is yours. Make it, and don’t look back.

Rivergator: Paddler’s Guide to

Atchafalaya River:

Old River Lock & Dam

Lower Old River Channel

Describing the Route from the Mississippi Riverand into the Old River Channel to Atchafalaya© 2015 John RuskeyFor the Rivergator: Lower Mississippi River Water Trail

Leaving the Mississippi towards Lock & Dam

After entering the opening at 303.8 off the Mississippi River, paddle across the open bay to the Old River Lock and Dam. There might be a giant eddy at the mouth of this entrance bay, but otherwise it will be flatwater paddling.

The Atchafalaya River: Best Route to the Gulf

The 150 mile long Atchafalaya River makes for an enticing alternative for paddlers who want to avoid the heavy industry awaiting them below Baton Rouge. Imagine paddling down the richest and largest river swamp in North America as opposed to paddling down the busiest and largest inland port in the world! Unless you are dead-set committed to the traditional Mississippi route, most paddlers would do best to take the Atchafalaya route. Paddlers can enter the Atchafalaya Canal right bank descending above Shreve’s Bar at mile 304 through the Old River Lock and Dam. The Atchafalaya is a distributary of the Mississippi and Red Rivers. One third of the average daily flow of the Mississippi passes down the Atchafalaya, which makes it the shortest big river in America. At nearly one-million acres, the Atchafalaya Basin is North America’s largest riverine swamp. It contains monstrous ecosystems of marshland, bottomland forests, lakes, bayous, and estuaries. The Atchafalaya (Native American for Long River) offers a baseline for big river health and ecosystem vitality. The Atchafalaya Basin is a key estuary for nesting, breeding, and migration of 250 bird species, 60 species of reptiles & amphibians, and it is also the life-support system for close to 100 species of fish. One of the most profound aspects of the Atchafalaya River is its ability to improve water quality as the river runs its course to the Gulf. (Its muddy deltas are examples of how the Mississippi River should be working below New Orleans, but isn’t because the Mississippi River water is not allowed to filter through the brackish wetlands, having been cut off by levees and canals) The disappearing coast of Louisiana is being saved along one of the Atchafalaya distributaries, called Wax Lake. The Wax Lake channel is creating a totally new delta as the sediments of a nation fall out of the muddy flow and congeal to form fresh land.

How does a Lock & Dam Work?

A lock can be thought of as an elevator to carry a vessel up or down from one pool to the next. The lock has massive fixed concrete sides and large movable metal miter gates at each end which are closed to create the equivalent of an elevator car which carries the vessel up or down using the water enclosed in the lock. To move up the waterway from a lower elevation pool to a higher one, a vessel enters the lock chamber at the lower level with the upstream gate closed; the downstream gate closes behind the vessel after it has entered the lock. To raise the level of the water in the lock and the vessel with it, water from the upper pool is allowed to flow by gravity into the lock through valves until it fills the lock to the same level as the upper pool. The upstream miter gate is then swung open and the vessel moves out into the upper pool.

To move a vessel from a higher elevation pool to a lower one, the procedure is reversed. With the downstream gate closed, the vessel moves into the lock chamber filled to the upper pool level, the upstream gate is closed behind the vessel, the water is permitted to drain out of the lock through valves, and the vessel is lowered with the level of the water. When the level of water in the lock reaches that of the lower pool, the downstream miter gate is opened to allow the vessel to move out into the pool. Contrary to what many people think, no pumps are used to fill or empty a lock; the water simply flows by gravity. It takes about 15 minutes to fill or empty a lock chamber.

Canoes, kayaks may lock through the Old River Lock and Dam, same as an other “pleasure craft.” Stand Up Paddleboards however have not yet been entered into the lists as pleasure craft. If you’re on a paddleboard you might be required to portage (depends on lockmaster). Hopefully this exclusion will change in the future.

Contact Lockmaster

Before paddling through Lock & Dam, it would be a good idea to call ahead and notify lockmaster of your intentions. We paddlers are still fairly rare in these parts, and might raise some concern as we approach the chamber. You might possible save some trouble if you make a call ahead to Morris J. Oubre, Lockmaster for the Old River Lock & Dam, 225-492-3333, or email in advance Morris.J.Oubre@usace.army.mil. Most lock & Dam operators monitor VHF 14. Try that if you are carrying a VHF Marine Radio. If you don’t have any luck getting through, see below. You can paddle to lock wall and pull signal chain.

Safe Paddling through a Lock & Dam

1) Steer your vessel directly towards the lock wall.

2) Stay between red and green buoys. They mark the river's navigable channel.

Canoes & kayaks may signal that they want to lock through by using the small boat signal located near the end of the upper and lower lock walls, or by marine radio. First try channel 16, then work through channels 14, 13 and 12 until you get an answer from the lock operator.

3) After signaling that you want to lock through, wait for the lock operator to signal that you may enter. You should stay past the end of the lock walls until you are signaled to enter the lock. If a large craft is leaving the lock and is headed in your direction, stay clear of departing craft.

Lock Signals

A flashing red light means: Stand Clear. DO NOT ENTER!

A flashing green light means: Enter the Lock.

The lock operator will, in addition to the traffic lights, signal you with an air horn.

One long blast (4 to 6 seconds) means: Enter Lock.

One short blast (1 second) means: Leave Lock.

Four or more short blasts mean: DANGER.

Inside the Lock Chamber

Carry at least 50 feet of mooring line in your vessel to lock through. You will need it during lockage to tie your craft safely to a floating mooring bitt. Do not tie to ladders or mooring posts along the wall. Be prepared to cast off your mooring line quickly in case of emergency.

Make sure there is a mooring ring or similar device on your boat to tie the mooring line to. Use fenders to save damage to your boat and to lock walls. Turbulent water is created during lockage. Passengers should remain seated in your boat. Don't leave motor of craft running during lockage. Always wear a life jacket on deck.

The lock operators have been given the same authority over your boat in the lock as traffic policemen have over your car at intersections. For your own safety, you must obey their instructions. Wait for the lock operator's signal before untying mooring lines to leave the lock. Travel at reduced speeds when you enter and leave the lock. Fast speeds endanger your own boat, other craft, and the lock gates.

Order of Locking Through

The Secretary of the Army has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to pass vessels through the locks in the following order:

(a.) Vessels owned by the U.S. Government

(b.) Passenger Vessels

(c.) Commercial Vessels (i.e. towboats)

(d.) Rafts

(e.) Pleasure Craft (Canoes & Kayaks)

If commercial traffic is heavy, pleasure craft may be required to wait approximately 1 ½ hours; or may be permitted to lock through with the commercial vessels.

Mileage Down Lower Old River Channel

Note: The following numbers 0 to 6.9 refers to the mileage down the Old RIver Channel to reach the Three Rivers Junction, where the Red River comes in from the north and forms the beginning of the Atchafalaya River. RBD = right bank descending, LBD = left bank descending, as if you are “descending” the channel from the Mississippi to the Atchafalaya (even though there is no flow). If there is no designation the described feature covers the whole channel (i.e. a bridge, or the lock & dam).

0 Old River Channel

.5 RBD Commercial Bay - Lower Old River Channel

.5 LBD Enter Navigation Channel

.6 RBD Commercial Bay Boat Ramp

.6 Lock & Dam Bay

1.0 LBD Old River Lock Forebay

1.1 Inflow Landing Boat Ramp

1.0 East Lock Wall

1.0 - 1.3 Lock Chamber

1.3 West Lock Wall

1.5 LBD Old River Lock Tailbay

1.6 Outflow Landing Boat Ramp

2.8 LBD Exit Navigation Channel

2.9 RBD Lower Old River Channel

4.6 LBD Pointe Coupee Parish Port Dock

4.7 LBD Pointe Coupee Parish Boat Ramp

5.2 LBD Bayou Moreau

6.0 Barbre Landing

6.2 River Gage: Atchafalaya River at Barbre Landing

6.9 RBD Three Rivers Junction

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...

Three Rivers WMA and Red River NWR

From the top of Palmetto island down to Shreve’s Bar the sprawling Three Rivers Wildlife Managment Area (WMA) and Red River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)

create sprawling swaths of deep bottomland hardwood forests, tupelo gum wetlands, and countless lakes, bayous and other waterways, bounded between the Mississippi and the Red River. When viewed from above, this is one of the most extensive green areas on the entire Lower Mississippi, ranking alongside the White River WMA at the close confluences of the White-Arkansas-Mississippi River systems. Only the Mighty Atchafalaya River Basin creates a bigger green space.

Red River NWR is a critical stop over point for migratory birds and provides crucial wintering grounds for waterfowl and wading birds. Over 80,000 waterfowl utilize the refuge for feeding and resting annually and over 200 species of neo-tropical migratory song birds seek refuge here. Habitat types include shrub/scrub, open grassland, cypress sloughs, sandbars, various stages of reforested agriculture lands, batture and bottomland hardwood forest and moist soil impoundments. The refuge also has numerous oxbow lakes, bayous, rivers, irrigation ditches and reservoirs. With such a diverse array of habitats, Red River NWR supports an abundance of wildlife including over 44 species of mammals, more than 70 species of reptiles and amphibians, over 106 fish species, more than 200 species of migratory birds, 25 species of waterfowl and an array of plant life. Priority species for conservation found on the refuge include the cerulean warbler, Swainson’s warbler, the endangered least tern, the recently delisted bald eagle, the American alligator, alligator snapping turtle, rusty blackbird, Rafinesque’s big-eared bat, southern myotis bat and endangered pallid sturgeon.

Atchafalaya - a Modern History

In the 18th Century, the Red River and the Atchafalaya River joined the Lower Mississippi in the same big bend. The Red River was one of the Mississippi's tributaries, but the Atchafalaya was a high water outlet, a distributary that carried excess flows from the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico, through the Atchafalaya Basin. In 1831, Captain Henry Shreve attempted to improve navigation on the Lower Mississippi by cutting off the big bend in the vicinity of the Red and Atchafalaya Rivers. The cutoff caused the Atchafalaya to fill with drift and debris, and it soon became unnavigable. In 1839, it was reported that the head of the Atchafalaya had grown so small that in low water people could walk across it on a plank 15 feet long. The State of Louisiana, in an effort to keep the Atchafalaya from closing completely, had the huge raft of drift and debris removed, and the Atchafalaya immediately began to enlarge and deepen its channel.

Shreve's Cutoff caused other changes in the area. The upper part of the old bend of the river began to fill, closing itself off from the Mississippi. The lower arm of the bend became the Atchafalaya's connection with the Mississippi. In 1872, Red River changed its course, abandoned its old mouth, broke through into the old riverbed, and joined itself to the head of the Atchafalaya. With the channel that had become known as "Old River" as the only connection with the Mississippi, the flow was either westerly or easterly, depending upon the respective stages of the Red and the Mississippi.

The changed conditions caused the Atchafalaya to enlarge rapidly near its head. In 1880 it was reported that water was no longer flowing into the Mississippi from either the Red or the Atchafalaya. The current in Old River was flowing into the Atchafalaya at all stages of the water.

In the years that followed, many efforts were made to limit the flow from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya, but they were all unsuccessful. It soon became obvious that the Atchafalaya, if left to its own devices, would capture the full flow of the Mississippi at Old River, creating a permanent diversion. The effect of the diversion on Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the heavily populated and highly industrialized areas below Old River would be disastrous. On September 3, 1954, Congress authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to construct permanent control structures at Old River to avert the threatened diversion of the Mississippi. The problems had been under intensive study for many years, and the construction of the project began almost immediately.

The first structure to be completed was the low sill structure, and it was designed to maintain the flow that was considered normal at the time the structure was built. An overbank structure was then added to take care of excess water in major floods. So that boats would not be cut off from the Atchafalaya and Red Rivers, a navigation lock was constructed. It was opened to navigation on March 15, 1963. With all the control structures in place, Old River itself was completely closed by a huge earthen dam. The uncontrolled flow of water from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya ceased completely on July 12, 1963.

For the next decade, the Old River control structures functioned satisfactorily. During the major flood of 1973, however, a wing wall collapsed in front of the low sill structure. When the flood waters subsided, surveys revealed severe damage to the structure. Emergency repairs were made, and the engineers began another long battle to keep the Atchafalaya from capturing the Mississippi. An extensive rehabilitation program is being developed by the Corps, while studies continue on permanent solutions to the complex problems at Old River.

Since most of the problems at Old River arose after Captain Henry Shreve constructed his cutoff in the area in 1831, it has often been argued that Shreve was responsible for the difficulties. It seems entirely possible, however, that the river would have effected a cutoff of its own without Shreve's assistance. Samuel Cumings, in The Western Pilot, commented in 1829 that the river was rapidly wearing away the neck of of land in the bend, which was then only 200 to 300 yards across. Islands No. 119, No. 120, and No. 121 (called the Three Sisters) had already been completely washed away, Cumings said, and he predicted an early cutoff. (Braggs)

© 2015 John RuskeyFor the Rivergator: Lower Mississippi River Water Trail