11/03/2025
The Mississippi River is going to change course (avulse) to the Atchafalaya at the Old River Control Complex (ORCC) above Baton Rouge and discharge to the Gulf near Morgan City, LA. Gravity will send it down this shorter, steeper path in a big flood — maybe the next one. Course changes happen about every 1,000 years when the channel clogs up with silt, flow slows, and floods get higher.
The Mississippi River is going to change course (avulse) to the Atchafalaya at the Old River Control Complex (ORCC) above Baton Rouge and discharge to the Gulf near Morgan City, LA. Gravity will send it down this shorter, steeper path in a big flood — maybe the next one. Course changes happen abou...