The New Yorker Magazine has posted John McPhee's 1987 article, "Atchafalaya", online and outside its paywall (which is to say, available to read for free).

This is a wonderful (and lengthy) article on the history, politics, and mechanics of Mississippi flood control -- a supreme example of human arrogance that has been going on since the founding of New Orleans in the early 1700s.

It takes a bit of time to read, but it's worth it.

~ Becky in Tucson