The state announced on Wednesday that it will divert water from the Mississippi River to rebuild eroding wetlands in Plaquemines Parish.
The Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton diversions are the first two projects of this scale.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is going forward with plans to re-route parts of the Mississippi’s flow into two bays, just south of New Orleans. They say the silt and mud from the river will help create and maintain about 47,000 acres of land over the next 50 years.
Kyle Graham, executive director of the CPRA, says the controversial proposal had years of input from scientists and the public.
“There’s never really been money applied to this level of analysis of the projects," he said. "It has always been a concept in Louisiana. We know that we need to do some systemic change-type projects for our basins and across our coast, that we can’t simply rebuild or build our way out of this.”
The CPRA also voted to use money from oil and gas leasing to elevate La. Highway 1, instead of money from the Coastal Master Plan.
Support for WWNO's Coastal Desk comes from the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the Coypu Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.
