Atchafalaya Basin Floodway

Atchafalaya Basin Floodway
Summary
The Atchafalaya Basin Floodway is one of the last great wildernesses remaining in the
continental United States identified by the United States Corps of Engineers, USACE.
The Atchafalaya Basin in Southern Louisiana includes the largest contiguous wetlands
in the Mississippi River Valley. The Basin includes 10 distinct aquatic & terrestrial
habitats ranging from large rivers to backwater swamps. The Basin is most noted for its
Cypress-Tupelo Gum swamp habitat and its Cajun heritage.
Vision Statement of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway

Future visitors and residents of the Atchafalaya Basin will encounter a landscape
where natural processes are operating on a grand scale with humans moderating their
activities so that they have become less intrusive and a reasonable part of, rather than
an encumbrance upon, these processes;
Where the built and natural environments are visually attractive, the object of
intense human enjoyment, and manifest the qualities of scenic beauty and aesthetic
harmony;
Where the photogenic panoramas and vistas of the region will exhibit more than
static post card images, but rather a truly dynamic landscape, as in ages past, constantly
changing and evolving; forests in various states of succession, seasonal flooding and
other natural disturbances; soil erosion and deposition; the minimum necessary control
of waterways and unpolluted lakes;
Where in these grand settings, ecological processes will be apparent in all scales,
from the geological time frame of river course changes and land formation to the
moment-to-moment pace of life in a bird rookery;
Where human institutions are re-oriented toward a stewardship approach to the
regions diverse resource processes, patterns, qualities, uses and values;
Where a diversity of livelihoods will continue, commercial fishing, timber
harvesting, oil & gas extraction, all activities done in harmony with, and sensitive to,
other resource values and land uses;
Where people regard the Atchafalaya ecosystem as a single, complex organism
and are working together in concert with widespread public support to plan, manage
and interpret the regions intrinsic (natural) and extrinsic (man-made) resources as a
unified whole;
Where the overriding mood of the Atchafalaya will be a harmonious balance
between naturalness and unimpaired ecological processes, and the enlightened and
unobtrusive use of the land for needed economic and social purposes;
Where, complementing that mood, educational opportunities abound and where
the Atchafalaya has become a world model a showcase of visionary planning and
progressive management of public & private resources, and cooperation among many
agencies, groups and individuals to achieve goals.
One of the last great wildernesses remaining in the United States.

Fact Sheet
Located between Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the east & Lafayette, Louisiana to the
west
More than 1 million acres in size, comprising the largest floodway in North
America
Consists of three floodways: Morganza Floodway, West Atchafalaya Floodway
& Atchafalaya Basin Floodway
Largest river swamp in North America, 173,000 acres of cypress swamps and
64,000 acres of aquatic habitat. 18,000 acres are under the jurisdiction of the State
Land Office, 37,280 acres are managed by the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries,
15,220 acres are owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Atchafalaya National
Wildlife Refuge), 36,000 acres are owned by the Corps of Engineers and 40% is
owned by private landowners
Home to nine Federal and State listed endangered/threatened wildlife species
Over 170 bird species located in the basin
Important wintering grounds for the birds of the Mississippi Flyway
Major wintering concentration of wood ducks, mallards and woodcocks
Largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest for forest interior nesting
species
Highest nest production for Louisiana species
Home to six endangered/threatened species of birds and 29 rookeries
Diversity of wetlands, 500,000 acres of hydric soils, provide habitat for 14 wading
bird rookeries
Home to numerous bald eagle nests
More than 50 mammalian species
More than 40 reptilian and 20 amphibian species
More than 100 species of fin fish and shellfish
The Atchafalaya River is one of the top five rivers in discharge in the United
States; average annual flow is 180,000 cubic feet per second
The projected flood flow is 1.5 million cubic feet per second
Most active growing delta (land accretion) in the continental United States
Website www.dnr.state.la.us
225-342-6437
The State of Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
Atchafalaya Basin Program coordinates the Atchafalaya Basin Advisory
Committee and supervises the implementation of the Atchafalaya Basin State
Master Plan

Economics
Produces over $123 million annually from recreational activities

Nature study averages 49,000 hours per year
Produces $5 $6 million annually from commercial fishing & crawfishing
Produces more than 1000 pounds of fin fish per acre in certain water bodies in
the lower Basin greater than any reservoir in the Southeastern United States
More than 500,000 user days of sport fishing recreational activity each year
over 8000 hours per month in just a 17 square mile area which is only 2% of the
basin
More than 164,000 user days of hunting activity each year
Deer hunters on the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area/Atchafalaya National
Wildlife Refuge contributed over $1 million to the states economy
25% of Louisianas commercial forest lands and 51% of the states hardwood
forest are located in the basin
Vital oil & gas pipelines cross the basin
More than 300 active oil & gas wells are located in the basin
Atchafalaya River is a vital port for the oil & gas industries in the Gulf of Mexico
More vessels pass Morgan City annually than Baton Rouge, the sixth largest port
in the country
Flood Control
Important component of the USACE Mississippi River and Tributaries Flood

Control Project
As part of Project Flood, 1.5 million cubic feet of water is routed down the
Designed flood for the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway System would fill the
Superdome in one minute and the City of New Orleans to a depth of 8 feet in less
than 12 hours
Culture
Important in the development of unique cultures of Acadian & Native

Americans
Location of several hundred archeological sites, including several prehistoric
sites

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Atchafalaya Basin Floodway

Vision Statement of the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway

One of the last great wildernesses remaining in the United States.