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Distributary




In Louisiana , for example, the Atchafalaya River splits from the Mississippi River . In some cases, a distributary can "steal" so much water from its parent that it can become the main route. This is actually a serious problem for New Orleans , because the Atchafalaya takes a steeper route to the Gulf Of Mexico , and therefore takes more and more water from the Mississippi. This was recently stopped by the construction of the Old River Control Structure , a Dam to control the outflow from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya.

The IJssel , the Waal and the Nederrijn (Lower Rhine) are the three principal distributaries of the Rhine . Other notable distributaries are the Kollidam , a distributary of the Kaveri River , and the Hoogli River , a distributary of the Ganges River , both in India .