Atchafalaya River
(uh-CHA-fuh-lei-uh), navigable river,
c.170 mi/270 km long, S central La.; 30°17'N
91°40'W; rises in N at confluence of Red and Miss. rivers; meanders
S, in a former channel of the Mississippi, to Atchafalaya Bay in the
Gulf of Mexico. A distributary of the Red and Mississippi rivers, the
Atchafalaya flows to the gulf through an extensive system of guide
levees and floodways. By law a set proportion of the water from the
Mississippi R. is diverted into the Atchafalaya R. at the Old River
Control Structure. The Atchafalaya Basin is filled with lakes, bayous,
marshes, and cypress swamps. Because of the threat of flooding, the
Basin is generally roadless and sparsely inhabited. The few roads
follow tops of levees. Interstate Highway 10, which crosses the basin
E-W, is a continuous bridge for most of the distance bet. Baton Rouge
and Lafayette. Locally referred to as Tchafalaya.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
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