5 Reasons Why 2019’s Mississippi River Flood is the Most Unprecedented of Our Time
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2019 has been an unprecedented and historic year on the Mississippi River. This year’s flood has broken records set in 1973 and even 1927 – two years with river floods whose impacts are still felt and that shaped how the Mississippi River is managed today. Since November 2, 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has been working tirelessly to manage the river’s flood waters and prevent additional flooding to communities across the Mississippi River Valley. While communities upriver …
Optimizing River Diversions in Order to Maximize Sediment Retention and Land Building
Over the last century, human engineering of the Mississippi River has greatly reduced the amount of sediment delivered to wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta. Half of the river’s sediment is trapped behind upstream dams and, in the lower river, levees block the rest of the sediment from reaching wetlands during floods. Yet, despite the river’s reduced sediment load, the rapid growth of the Wax Lake Delta in Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin shows that the remaining sediment in the Mississippi River …
Explore the Largest Coastal Restoration Project Completed In Louisiana’s History
Restoration Project Reading List What is Needed to Protect and Restore one of the Gulf Coast’s Largest Swamps? Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion: What It Is and Why It’s Needed A Tale of Two Basins: Why One is Thriving While the Other is Dying Watch: Coast 360, A Virtual Day in the Delta To restore Louisiana’s coast, we need a suite of large-scale restoration projects across the coast working together to deliver maximum benefits and reduce land loss, restore ecosystems and maintain …
Plaquemines Gazette Letter to the Editor: River Diversions
This piece was originally published in the Plaquemines Gazette and has been reprinted here with permission of the owner. Please visit PlaqueminesGazette.com to subscribe and see the original article. Dear Editor, Many people today are asking questions about what river diversions will do to our coast. These questions are particularly important in Plaquemines Parish, where several of the diversions in Louisiana’s coastal Master Plan will be located. Central to the Master Plan is the idea that sending Mississippi River and …
What is Needed to Protect and Restore one of the Gulf Coast’s Largest Swamps?
To restore Louisiana’s coast, we need a suite of large-scale restoration projects across the coast working together to deliver maximum benefits and reduce land loss, restore ecosystems and maintain habitat. In this “Restoration Project Highlights” series, we’ll be taking a deeper look at specific projects from our list of Priority Projects, highlighting why they’re needed and hearing local perspectives about their importance. A local’s perspective on the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp diversion. ? Warren Coco, Founder of Go-Devil Manufacturers …
25 Ways We Can Build a More Resilient New Orleans
This week, the National Wildlife Federation and Tulane University released a report of recommendations for how the City of New Orleans can build a more resilient future in the face of coastal land loss and rising seas. The report was developed during a convening of 40 coastal leaders. National Wildlife Federation and Tulane hosted the event, facilitated by the City of New Orleans. Participants brought expertise from the economic, policy, social, and technical perspectives to a day of thoughtful and …
Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion: What It Is and Why It’s Needed
To restore Louisiana’s coast, we need a suite of large-scale restoration projects across the coast working together to deliver maximum benefits and reduce land loss, restore ecosystems and maintain habitat. In this “Restoration Project Highlights” series, we’ll be taking a deeper look at specific projects from our list of Priority Projects, focusing on why they’re important, the local impacts and local perspectives. A local’s perspective on the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion. Albertine Kimble, Plaquemines Parish Resident What is the Mid-Breton Sediment …
For World Water Day, Here’s How Louisiana is Using Nature to Restore its Coast
Today is the United Nations’ 25th World Water Day – an international observance and opportunity to learn about water-related issues, be inspired and teach others, and take action to make a difference. The theme for this year’s World Water Day is “Nature for Water,” which explores nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. For those of us living in coastal Louisiana, we understand the importance and value of living with water. The Mississippi River Delta and …
17 in ‘17: Coastal Highlights from a Landmark Year!
2017 has been a banner year for coastal restoration in Louisiana! As we turn the page on this year, now is time to reflect and celebrate these successes along with the many organizations, volunteers, community members and public officials that made them possible. Let’s look back on 17 coastal highlights of 2017 from Restore the Mississippi River Delta, our partner organizations and others working to restore Louisiana’s coast. Restoration Resources Starting the year off right, we unveiled our brand new …
Understanding Social Vulnerability in Your Community
The paradox at hand Over 2.3 million people live in the 20 parishes located in Louisiana’s Coastal Zone. According to the most recent National Coastal Population Report, a collaboration between the U.S. Census Bureau and NOAA, the rate of population increase in coastal Louisiana has doubled since 2010. Unfortunately, coastal land is disappearing as the population grows. A football field of wetlands disappears every 100 minutes (USGS). Restoration projects aim to preserve and rebuild the state’s beautiful wetlands, which provide …
Let’s Get Muddy: How A Mixture of Mud and Sand Can Help Revive Louisiana’s Wetlands
With the recent unanimous passage of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the State of Louisiana is working hard to advance priority restoration projects, including numerous sediment diversions. These project types have been called a “cornerstone” of our efforts to restore and protect Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. As such, it’s important to understand the valuable resource they help capture and deliver to our wetlands: sediment. This is a fancy word for the sands, silts, clays and muds that flow through the Mississippi …
From Cattle Farming to Pageant Queen: A Coastal Advocate All the Way
I grew up on levees of both rice and crawfish fields along the coast of southern Vermilion Parish. To some that might sound like a boring childhood but to me, it was my own paradise and playground. This unique upbringing greatly influenced the person I have become, as well as my understanding of the importance of Louisiana’s coast and the many unique communities that comprise it. I was born into a family which was, and still is, deeply invested …
Today is #CoastalDay, Here’s Everything You Need to Know
Today, May 2, is Coastal Day at the Louisiana Legislature. This annual event, organized by the Coast Builders Coalition, is designed to educate legislators about the vital work being done to protect and restore our coast. With the 2017 Coastal Master Plan being introduced early in the legislative session, Coastal Day is an important opportunity to educate representatives and legislators from across the state about the master plan. You can follow along with updates throughout the day by following the …
Louisiana Coastal Area Funding Included in Omnibus Spending Bill
Last night, U.S congressional leaders released a $1-trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the federal government through the end of September. Congress is expected to approve the bill later this week. While the omnibus bill includes spending for numerous federal programs, of note for Louisiana is the inclusion of dedicated funding for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) program. The bill includes $9 million for the LCA Beneficial Use of Dredged Materials (BUD Mat) program and $520,000 for LCA general investigations. …
Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration
The following letter was recently signed by over 30 faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans …