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A COMPARISON OF THREE FLOODING REGIMES, ATCHAFALAYA BASIN, LOUISIANA
Citation:
Beek, J., K. Wicker, AND B. Small. A COMPARISON OF THREE FLOODING REGIMES, ATCHAFALAYA BASIN, LOUISIANA. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/3-78/106 (NTIS PB293157), 1978.
Description:
Three backwater areas in the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana, are compared. The three areas studied are Fordoche and Buffalo Cove, within the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway and subject to annual flooding by the Atchafalaya River, and Pat Bay which is located outside the floodway and in which flooding is controlled by local rainfall. Hydrologic regimes are compared for relative contributions of river water and local drainage, amplitude of water level fluctuations, mode of water introduction and movement, and related introduction of sediments. From this comparison, the following were seen as the most urgent considerations for management of Atchafalaya Basin Floodway units: (1) Induction of low discharge throughflow in order to enhance water exchange in those areas presently subject to a backwater regime and insufficiently dewatered, (2) reduction of inflow associated with short-term water level fluctuations during annual rise of Atchafalaya River stages in order to reduce sediment introduction, (3) maximum utilization of the unit's precipitation surpluses as a source of floodwater to reduce inflow of Atchafalaya River water and sediments, (4) realization of (1), (2), and (3) through water introduction at the upper end of the unit and simultaneous control over outflow at the lower end of the unit.