Mouth of the Mississippi

The mighty Mississippi empties into the Gulf of Mexico here at its estuary. There are a few oil storage tanks, but not much else but dikes and breakwaters.

Marine traffic to and from the south use this channel, but there is a more efficient way to route eastward.

The Army Corps of Engineers who maintain the Mississippi waterway are facing a losing battle against the relentless deposition of silt at the mouth of the river. The more silt arrives in the estuary, the higher the dikes need to be built. Evidence of this is readily available, for example, the recent closure of the Gulf Outlet Canal.