500 ‘LOTEERG O SEME-RICID CONNECTIONS Dz. Karama pn te quotion ao how adage th a age pgs eal aaa cepa 1s computed by Eq. 22 is equivalent to designing the connection angles for & bending stress of 20.0 kips per sq in. ‘This standard might be considered un- necessarily conservative by some designers. On the other hand, although the complete moment-rotation curves were available, in his examples, Mr. Rathbun. chose the slope at the origin for his values of 1/Z. Furthermore, an inspection of the Rathbun moment-rotation curves wil show that the slope at the origin is approximately parallel to the average slope of the “set” curves. In answer to Mr. Kavanagh's concluding statement to the effet that the ‘moment strengths indicated in Table 1 for the standard connections would ‘quite probably be higher than will be allowed by combined moment and shear fon the standard number of rivets usually provided in these connections, the ‘writer wishes to refer him to the example in bracket design at the end of the paper. A standard connection was used, employing the standard number Of the smaller sized rivets—numely, Fin, rivels. The bracket was designed to the full capacity of the rivets in combined moment and shear, and it w ound that the connection angles were very much overstressed in moment. a AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS Founded November 5, 1852 TRANSACTIONS Paper No. 2438 ATCHAFALAYA DIVERSION AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER By LEO M. Opom, M. ASCE Worn Discussion ¥ Masons, E. B. Sauisauey, Jans F. Hause, Jenn, W. Hicas, axp Lxo M. Onow, SexoPs ‘The diversion of Hoodwaters from the Misissippi River via the Old and the Atchafalaya rivers in Louisiana is an important fsctor in the control of the ‘Mississippi River oods below the point of the diversion. Diversion occurs fat all stages of the river, and the only control heretofore exercised in the ‘quantity diverted has depended on the resistance of the channel of the Atcha falaya River. These facts create a diferent problem from that of controled overbank foodways like those built at Bonnet Carré. Diversion of water from the Mississippi River to control floods has long been disputed provedure. One of the most reiterated contentions of ite ‘opponents has been that the Missasippi River would adjust its capacity below the diversion to the lesser requirements, as the diversion incressed, and thet ‘therefore there would be no not guin in total capacity. ‘A study of the date on discharges versus gage heights revesls that data prior to 1913 cannot be used for comparative purposes without qualification. ‘The data collected since about 1940 must also be evaluated carefully because of changes in procedure in taking measurements. With these facts in mind a study of the stage-discharge relationship does not indieate any progressive changes in the discharge eapacity of the Mississippi River below Old River. ‘The experiments that have been made on movable bed models of bifurcated channels give a clue as to why the normal tendency of an alluvial stream toward adjustment ofits capacity to its flow requirements hhas not been found to operate in this ense Isrnopvonox ‘The control of the Mississippi River and of ite tributaries isthe largest civil ‘which any government of any ‘has ever undertaken. " Gous Bogr, toa Rouge, Ln 5050 ATORAYALAYADivunstox ‘Works of such magnitude are involved that they dwarf any previous or con- temporaneous projects of a similar nature to the extent that very few data obtained on other projects are applicable. The part of this huge undertaking assigned to the United States Mississipi River Commission (food control and improvement of navigetion on the Mississippi River below Cape Girardeau, ‘Mo,) is the majo: and most important part. ‘Throughout practically the entire length of the Lower Mississippi River, nearly 1,000 miles, the river flows through a bed carved in its own alluvium within a broad flood plain wherein it formerly wandered st will. ‘The funnel- shaped drainage area of the river is 1,245,000 sq miles in extent, but for the Tower 600 miles ofits length the river receives no major tributary. Control of the Lower Mississippi River has been under way since 1717 when Le Blond, Sieur de ln Tour, built the first levee for the pentaetion of the City of New Orleans (La). Flood control efforts expanded rspidly from that small beginning; but the problem has only beon attacked in a scientific, organized, and adequately ‘nanced manner since the passage by the United States Congress of the Hood Control Act of 1928 Before 1928 the paucity of funds and the lack of a central authority for planning and dircting the work restricted activities to levee construction to confine the river to ita channel, and to some revetment work to try to stabilize the channel in the most critical bends, Diversions and cutofia were greatly Aisoussed before 1927; but s0 much argument could be advanced on either side, because of the nck of dependable information about exactly what their effects vould be, that it seemed the best policy to “let well enough alone” and follow the tried policy of building levees bigger and better. ‘The food of 1927 proved ‘the inadequacy of past measures and brought eutoffs and diversions back into the picture. ‘The act of 1028 provided suffcient funds to undertake their construction ‘The most upstream point for logical diversion of water from the Mississippi is into the head of the Atchafalaya Basin, which lies approximately 300 males by way of the Mississippi River above the Hoad of Passes. At this point, itis possible to divert tremendous quantities of water through undeveloped swamp land to the Gulf cf Mexico for the protestion of the highly developed section of the valley lying in southern Louisiana below that point. Without this diversion southern Louisiana would be in far greater jeopardy than it was before the complexion of levees and cutoffe upstream, "While protecting up- stream areas, the levees and upstream cutoffs robbed the river of natural storage basins and hastened the flow, thus increasing flood peaks in the lower reaches, ‘The Atchafalara Basin (see Fig. 1) is « huge lowland lying west of the Mississippi River in south central Louisiana. It is connected with the Mises. sippi and Red rivers through the Old River and the Atchafelaya River and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. For thousands of years this basin has served ‘8 an outlet for overflow waters from the Mississippi and Red rivers. ‘The Atchafalaya River, which is leveed on each side for practically its ‘entire length, is short stream which has its source in Old River and flows es a ‘well-defined stream in the middle of the basin for about half the length of the eee ee sos svn, Tt thon ttn at of dls hanes wish int he ken witb incor end of the haan, The inks ave ommcied ithe Cul of Staten rough to Tose dg, wtishotnrwse de ho lover end af ho bau by the Loves Avaya by anvil haa atated 1st np nivr Comin called te Wax Lak Ost, ‘he aca! River Connon ands poten n od cnt wok cn the Minimipa have always reogaed the inporano of he Altaaaye Sn sous for verion Begining it th paaags of the Food Eee nee eae ep pet ene eee constructed with tho objetivo ting tothe fllet praca extant he Strenfon ponies ofered by th Atchtlalae Basin and, at the sare tine, ot poeting the fel Inds nd prose som ing cnt Yo it om each sie and in te upper reece * ge Atcafaaya River eninalyeasod relatively Hie Gow because of the poor development oft channel aod tho fact that i as Blocked net it head bya alo og and debs. Taproveret oft canna or avigaton tras begun by the late of Lausana, before 1850. More romntly dtaite Tops lve been taken by the Misienppt River Commision to eran it ATbcharg cpaty so sto alrite the fod hight onthe Maio Rivr0 “ATOuLPALAYA DIVEREION Grotoor or mms Lowen Mississtpr: Ano Aromavataya RivEns ‘The Atchafalaya Basin lies wholly within the deltaic plain of the Mississippi River. ‘The Lower Mississippi River flows through a broad low area from Cape Girardeau to the Gulf of Mexico. This lowland (known as the Mississippi alluvial valley) slopes toward the Gulf and is bordered by abrupt esearpments for almost its entire length. It lies within the Central Gulf Coastal Plain, ‘The deltaic plain of the Mississippi alluvial valley comprises the part of the valley below the head of the Atchafalaya River, It is separated from the flood plain area to the north by the natural levees of Bayou des Glaises ard Old River (see Fig. 1) in Louisiana. During the last stage of world-wide glaciation when the sea level ms several hundred fect lower then itis at prosent, the Mississippi River and its tributaries cut deop channels in the Central Gulf Coastal Plain. ‘The area effected by these channels marks the limite of the alluvial valley. ‘The prese Mississippi River evolved through a series of changes in the valley drainage system which were brought about by the filling of the deeply cut valleys durirg ‘and since the postglacial rise in sea level. The present alluvial valley has been filled by alluvium because of the rise in the elevation of the Gulf and the consequent decrease in gradient of the streams. The filling of the ancient channels, however, did not bring the elevation of the alluvial valley up to the general elevation of the Gulf Coastal Plain. ‘The deltaic plain was developed ae the Mississippi River sifted its mouth ‘and the place of deposit of its sediment changed. In the deltaic plain the recent alluvium reaches depth greater than 350 ft and grades upward irregu- larly from coarse “gravelliferous” sands to progressively finer deposits of fixe sands, sits, and clays. ‘The minimum depth of recent deposite in the Atchs- falaya Basin is not much loss than 100 ft and the average depth is about 150 Slope, load, discharge, and the character of the materials forming its bed greatly affect the length, average cross section, and general pattern of an alluvial stresm. When the determining factors have remained within reasor- able limits for a considerable period, over-all eutting or filling of the stream bed ceases and the stream ia said to be “poised.” ‘The Mississippi River Jong ago reached such a poised condition from Cape Girandest to the Gull ‘The local cutting and filing that occur do not affect the overall pictire materially. Below the Old River, the Mississippi River is much more stable than in its upper reaches. ‘The channel is narrower and deeper, high-water slopes are much less, and the bed materials are much more resistant to erosior. ‘The channel is very efficient and it carries its large burden of discharge with very small slopes to the Gulf. ‘The Atchafalaya River, although offering @ much shorter route, has « far smaller cross section, and the resistance of its channel to flow is much greater. However, it flows through erodible material and its average cross section ‘throughout its loveed length has heen constantly increasing for many years. This enlargement of the Iovoed channel as been accompanied by the silting up of the lakes and swamps betwoen the ends of the leveed channel and the lower end of the basin. ATCHATALAYA DIVERSION: 507 cer ‘The Atchafalaya River was a distributary of the Mississippi River when the rogion was first visited by European explorers. Geological studies show that it became a distributary long before that time when the lower part of the former Turnbull Bend on the Mississippi River, in Louisiana, eaved into an ‘abandoned course of the Red River. This old Red River channel provided « connection from the Mississippi River into the low area that is now ealled the Atchafalaya Basin, The Atchafalaya River developed slowly below the old channel hy forming small distributarien of typinal deltaie pattern during each flpod and then in ater floods choosing one of them to use as its main channel as ita delta was pushed out into the basin area. At the time that the Atchafalaya River was formed, the Red River was following its present oourse and joined the Mississippi River in the upper limb ‘of the old Tumbull Bend. ‘The head of the Atchafalaya River was about 3 niles farther downstream on the Turnbull Bend, This situation existed unsil 1831, In 1881 a cutoff was made in the Mississippi River across Tumbull Bend by Capt. Henry Shreve, As a reault of this eutoff the lower limb of the bend, now called the (Old River, has become the eonnestion hetwean the Missiasipnt ‘and the Atchafalays rivers, and the western part of the old bend forms an extension of the Red River, so that today the Old, the Atchafslaya, and the Red rivers join at common point. For many years after the cutoff was completed, the upper limb of Turnbull Bend was the principal channel connest- ing the Red River with the Mississippi River, but it has now silted wp. For many years development of the Atchafalaya River was greatly impeded because the river was blocked by an extensive raft of loge and brush thrown into it by the Mississippi. Tn 1889 it could be crossed on foot on the raft near its head. The Stato of Louisiana bogan work toward the removal of this raft in 1840 60 as to create a naviguble channel. The reports of the state engineers of Louisiana from 1840 to 1875 contain frequent references to this work. ‘There was considerable argument about 1847 as to whether the Atchafalaya ‘River should be dammed off. A strong plea for leaving it open, together with the statement that it earried 120,000 eu ft per see of water during high floods, appeared in 18752 In 1879 the Mississippi River Commission was created with the duty of preparing plans to improve the Mississippi River channel, to protect ite banks, to improve navigation, to prevent destructive floods, and to promote and facilitate commerce. About the same time large leves distrcta were crested in Louisiana and the state engineers turned their attention almost wholly to the task of constructing levee systems along the major streams to protect the alluvial lands from overflow. ‘The Mississippi River Commission was thus placed in the middle of the argument as to the disposition to be made of the Atchafalaya River as the sole remaining responsible agenoy in the field. The original poliey of the Missis- ony oP vue Ancuarataya Riven