Do bayous really flow backwards? (earthquake, disposal, live)

[canone9]

I have never lived by a river close to the sea anywhere in the world, so I don't know how the tides generally affect rivers.

But I've heard there is a special effet in Louisiana because the land is lower than sea-level.

Someone said that when the tide is high, instead of flowing out to sea, water in the bayous flow inland.

And they said this water causes regular floods.

Is this true? Does this happen regularly every day?

So if you threw rubbish into the bayou it will just wash back up to you?

(I know in other places I lived where there was a hill and a river flowing, the river was like the garbage disposal system because it was sure to carry the rubbish away.)

If it's true the water flows backwards, that'd be cool to watch.

[cBach]

Well, not really, but it is a slow moving system and tides do affect it. So if tides are 3 feet and there's a place that's 2 feet above sea level, at low tide the current of the bayou will be moving towards the Gulf but at high tide it will be moving the opposite direction. It's most noticeable along the coasts during hurricanes mainly because that's when the tide is extremely high. It is also why many of the streams, rivers, and bayous are brackish.

[canone9]

Originally Posted by cBach

Well, not really, but it is a slow moving system and tides do affect it. So if tides are 3 feet and there's a place that's 2 feet above sea level, at low tide the current of the bayou will be moving towards the Gulf but at high tide it will be moving the opposite direction. It's most noticeable along the coasts during hurricanes mainly because that's when the tide is extremely high. It is also why many of the streams, rivers, and bayous are brackish.

Thanks for the reply cBach.

There's really no good source of information about this that I`ve come across on the internet. And I wonder if people in Louisiana are so used to it, that they don`t really speak about it or explain it like you did.

Anyway, you answer helped to clear things up. Seems the effect it's not as dramatic or as regular as I imagined.

[Innotech]

No, the bayous still flow towards the gulf.

[Bluff_Dweller]

Anyone using moving water as a disposal usually causes harm to their neighbors downstream in one form or another. IMO

[annie_himself]

I've never heard of it.

[Listener2307]

Sometimes they don't flow at all. If, for example, they are connected to a lake, they have no flow.

Others, like Bayou Teche, are very long (125 miles) with a beginning and a destination.

It doesn't matter much, though. I've never noticed a bayou that appears to have a flow at all.

[victimofGM]

There have been cases of the Mississippi River having water from the Gulf of Mexico flowing up the river. The major earthquake of 1812, severe drought, and hurricane storm surge have all caused salty water from the Gulf of Mexico. It is possible that this could also cause water from the Gulf to flow into the canals that drain into the river.

[Southern man]

Do a search on "Tidal bore"

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by canone9

I have never lived by a river close to the sea anywhere in the world, so I don't know how the tides generally affect rivers.

But I've heard there is a special effet in Louisiana because the land is lower than sea-level.

Someone said that when the tide is high, instead of flowing out to sea, water in the bayous flow inland.

And they said this water causes regular floods.

Is this true? Does this happen regularly every day?

So if you threw rubbish into the bayou it will just wash back up to you?

(I know in other places I lived where there was a hill and a river flowing, the river was like the garbage disposal system because it was sure to carry the rubbish away.)

If it's true the water flows backwards, that'd be cool to watch.

I was interested in learning from this thread. Just wondering why anyone would use the water ways as a disposal system? People don't really toss rubbish into the water do they?