Rising Mississippi River: Implications for Louisiana’s Vanishing Wetlands
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Rising Mississippi River: Implications for Louisiana’s Vanishing Wetlands Expert Interview and B-Roll Opportunities Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Jimmy Frederick, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.317.2046, jimmy.frederick@crcl.org John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, jlopez@saveourlake.org At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 10, 2016, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which is upriver from New Orleans, …
Heavy Rainfall Activates Early Flood Fight on Lower Mississippi River
As the Mississippi River high water event continues, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will soon open the Bonnet Carré Spillway, and potentially the Morganza Floodway, to help relieve pressure on river levees and prevent catastrophic flooding. During high-water events like this one, the river contains more water and carries more sediment than usual. Without restoration projects like sediment diversions in place to capture sediment, much of this essential component for restoring our coast is lost. In the future, when …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 8, 2016
Bonnet Carre Spillway to open 10 a.m. Sunday By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 7, 2016. “The Army Corps of Engineers will begin opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish at 10 a.m. Sunday morning to reduce the level of the Mississippi River in New Orleans, so its flow does not exceed 1.25 million cubic feet per second in New Orleans, corps officials confirmed late Thursday…” (read more) Spillway may be opened Monday, increasing local flooding threat By …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 7, 2016
New Leader Announced for Louisiana Coastal Restoration By Dredging Today. Jan. 6, 2016. *features Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition “Louisiana Governor-Elect John Bel Edwards has announced that Johnny Bradberry is his appointee for Executive Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Activities…” (read more) Documentary focuses on oil spill, land loss By Amy Wold, The Advocate. Jan. 6, 2016. “In 2010, Jon Bowermaster was wrapping up the editing of his latest documentary — this time about the relationship between Louisiana …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 6, 2016
Corps recommends opening Bonnet Carre Spillway, possibly beginning Saturday By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Jan. 5, 2016. *features John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation “The Bonnet Carre Spillway in St. Charles Parish should be opened in the next few days to reduce the height of the rising Mississippi River that’s threatening levees in the New Orleans area, funneling a portion of the river’s flow into Lake Pontchartrain, Col. Richard Hansen, the commander of the New Orleans District of the Army …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 5, 2016
Rising river: Authorities keep close eye on swelling Mississippi River By Camille Whitworth, WDSU. Jan. 4, 2016. *features John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation “Local, state and federal agencies are keeping a close eye on the Mississippi River as it continues to swell. Officials will announce Tuesday if the Army Corps of Engineers will take any action. All crews were on high alert Monday. River levels were at 13.5 feet, and the goal was to keep levels below 17 feet…” …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Jan. 4, 2016
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2016 By Editorial Board Staff, Houma Courier. Jan. 1, 2016. “We saw a year in 2015 that saw some real momentum for coastal restoration and flood protection. News that the Gulf states and BP reached a settlement in the federal lawsuit over the oil giant’s 2010 oil spill meant that the coastal cause in Louisiana will get a dedicated stream of money…” (read more). Mississippi River continues rising in Louisiana as Red River falls By …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 31, 2015
State of emergency issued as water levels rise in the Mississippi, Red, Atchafalaya rivers By Amy Wold, The Advocate. Dec. 30, 2015. “Gov. Bobby Jindal issued a state of emergency Wednesday, a first step in applying for possible future aid should the state experience flood damage once water levels rise in the Mississippi, Red and Atchafalaya rivers…” (read more). Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Impacted Sea Turtles Globally By James Crugnale, The Weather Channel. Dec. 30, 2015. “The oil spill in …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 17, 2015
Coastal erosion, hurricane could cost Louisiana $133 billion By Kevin Litten, The Times-Picayune. Dec. 16, 2015. “Coastal land loss could cost Louisiana more than $133 billion in economic damage if a Hurricane Katrina-like storm hits again in the next 50 years. That’s according to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, which commissioned a two-year study on the economic effects of land loss in Louisiana…” (read more). Study calculates the costs of not stopping land loss in Louisiana in the billions …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 16, 2015
Parish prepares for Christmas tree recycling project By WVUE (New Orleans). Dec. 15, 2015. “JEFFERSON PARISH, LA (WVUE) – Some people haven’t even bought their Christmas trees yet, but Jefferson Parish is already planning on how to use them to help restore the coast…” (read more). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, levee officials keep eye on rising Mississippi River By Kweilyn Murphy, WDSU (New Orleans). Dec. 15, 2015. “On your walk or run along the levee this week, you may …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 15, 2015
Nearly $55M for 2 coastal projects in SW Louisiana: refuge breakwater, marsh restoration By Associated Press. Dec. 14, 2015. “BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Two coastal restoration projects totaling nearly $55 million in southwest Louisiana are seeing progress, state and federal agencies said…” (read more). Rising Mississippi River prompts levee inspections By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. Dec. 14, 2015. “With the Mississippi River rising beyond 12 1/4 feet above sea level at the Carrollton gauge in New Orleans on Monday …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 14, 2015
Reconsider the Oyster By Arielle Milkman, The Morning News. Dec. 14, 2015. *features the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana “Tracking a single oyster from the Gulf to Bourbon Street, to a 13,000-ton pile of shells, provides a tour through Louisiana’s precarious coastal economy…” (read more). Committee recommends coastal restoration projects in Lafourche By Meredith Burns, The Daily Comet. Dec. 13, 2015. *features Simone Maloz, Restore or Retreat “Two proposed coastal restoration projects in south Lafourche have moved a step closer …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 11, 2015
$52 million allocated to improve Louisiana coastline after Deepwater Horizon oil spill By The Associated Press. Dec. 10, 2015. *features Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition statement “BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council has approved $52 million in Deepwater Horizon project money for coastal restoration projects…” (read more). Lessons for Christchurch from New Orleans By Ashleigh Stewart, The Press News (Christchurch, New Zealand). Dec. 11, 2015. *features Doug Meffert, National Audubon Society “Until the 1960s, the …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 10, 2015
Move quickly to restore the coast By Editorial Page Staff, The Courier (Houma, La.). Dec. 9, 2015. *features Simone Maloz, Restore or Retreat “Spend coastal restoration money quickly and use it wisely. Even if we start now, scientists say it may be too late to do a great deal of good for the Louisiana coast. But, moving on the problem late and doing something is better than not moving at all…” (read more). Louisiana projects allocated $52 million on Wednesday …
Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 9, 2015
From Paris: Mayor Landrieu Touts New Orleans’ Resilience By Tegan Wendland, WWNO (New Orleans). Dec. 9, 2015. “New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is pledging to reduce the city’s emissions and invest in its ability to cope with extreme weather caused by climate change. By signing the Compact of Mayors in Paris last week, Landrieu joins 20 other mayors pledging to do things like build more bike lanes, get people to use LED lights and build energy-efficient buildings. New Orleans is …