Sediment Diversions

Mississippi River’s newest distributary: Mardi Gras Pass gets a tour

Mississippi River’s newest distributary: Mardi Gras Pass gets a tour

At just five months old, Mardi Gras Pass is the newest distributary of the Mississippi River — a modern addition to an ancient system. Located about 50 miles south of New Orleans on the east bank of the river, the pass was discovered by Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) staff on Mardi Gras Day 2012. The natural flow of the Mississippi River had cut a continuous channel through the river’s bank and into the Bohemia Spillway, creating a new distributary and …

The RESTORE Act: Past, present and future

By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund It’s been an exciting year for Louisiana and the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. In July 2011, nine gulf senators banded together and introduced the RESTORE Act – legislation that would ensure penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the gulf oil spill would be used to restore the gulf region’s environment and economy. In September, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the bill and in October, Representative Steve …

New online content illustrates economic benefits of environmental restoration

Did you know that coastal restoration helps not just the environment but also the economy? Restoration activities, like the construction of sediment diversions, coastal dredging and barrier island restoration, directly create jobs through the firms hired to carry out the projects. Additionally, Louisiana’s coast supports a $34 billion tourism industry, 33 percent of our nation’s seafood harvest, 10 of our 15 largest ports and 90 percent of our offshore crude oil and natural gas production.1 Coastal restoration protects these industries …

The Next 50 Years: Climate change and the Coastal Master Plan: “Hope for the best but plan for the worst”

By Dr. Doug Meffert, Executive Director, Audubon Louisiana Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan takes a realistic and critical examination of the effects of climate change impacts on the future of coastal Louisiana, both in terms of prioritization of restoration projects as well as risk reduction. In its “less optimistic scenario,” the master plan estimates 0.45 meters of sea level rise over the next fifty years. This is in addition to between zero and 25 millimeters per year of land subsidence, …

The Next 50 Years: Louisiana Coastal Area projects in the master plan

This is the fourth post in our “The Next 50 Years” Coastal Master Plan series. Check back as we continue diving into the master plan and what it means for the people and environment of the Mississippi River Delta. By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation To formulate Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan, coastal authorities evaluated nearly 250 restoration projects that had been proposed in previous parish- and state-level restoration plans. This number was then narrowed down by setting …

Latest news: July 6, 2012

Groups ask ruling on new pass By Amy Wold, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). July 4, 2012. “A number of national and local environmental groups sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday, asking that Mardi Gras Pass be formally designated as a navigable waterway…” (Read more) Gulf Coast states prepare to spend billions in fine money By Ledyard King and Deborah Barfield Berry (Gannett Washington Bureau). USA Today. July 5, 2012. “WASHINGTON – It took …

The Next 50 Years: Nonstructural storm protection

By Brian Jackson, Associate Director – Stakeholder Engagement, Environmental Defense Fund Last month, the Louisiana Legislature passed the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, capping off years of public engagement and analysis. The 50-year plan lays out a bold path of projects and programs to restore the environment and protect the people, economies and environment of the Mississippi River Delta. The total cost of the plan is $50 billion, of which $10.2 billion is dedicated to nonstructural risk reduction measures. So what …

The Next 50 Years: Sediment diversions as a necessary restoration tool

This is the second post in our “The Next 50 Years” Coastal Master Plan series. Check back as we continue diving into the master plan and what it means for the people and environment of the Mississippi River Delta. By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Since 1932, coastal Louisiana has lost almost 1,900 square miles of land and if bold action is not taken, another 1,700 square miles could be lost by 2060. Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal …

The Next 50 Years

By Kevin Chandler, Communications Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Last month saw the passage of Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan. This 50-year, $50 billion blueprint for a sustainable coast represents the most ambitious effort yet to tackle Louisiana’s coastal crisis. As the plan moves from ratification to implementation, it remains as important as ever to apprehend just what the plan contains and what it means for Louisiana and the nation. Over the next several weeks, the Mississippi River Delta …

NRDA Trustees should consider long-term sustainability of wetland creation projects

By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund In late April, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees finalized the first phase of projects to address Gulf Coast environmental damage caused by the 2010 oil disaster. The trustees are a group of federal and state representatives charged with overseeing environmental restoration following the oil spill. The project document, known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (ERP/EA), comes on the heels …

Job opening: Tom Graff Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund

With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, uncommon partnerships and market-based approaches. You can be part of a vibrant workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives, talents and contributions, where innovation and a focus on results are a way of life. Position Description: The …

Coastal restoration as a climate change adaptation strategy

By Meg Sutton, Environmental Defense Fund Global climate change has induced an increase in global mean sea level with a 3.1 mm/year average rate of increase since 1991[1]. Climate projections indicate a widespread increase of more intense precipitation events, with an associated increased risk of flooding. Similarly, climate scientists also predict an increase in hurricane wind speed and total volume. The low lying, coastal Mississippi River Delta region is particularly vulnerable to the climate change threats of sea level rise, …

Getting back to nature: New study looks at the past, present and future of the Mississippi River Delta

By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D, Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation The Mississippi River has played an important role in the history, physical and economic growth of the United States. However, the Mississippi River and the delta region it built didn’t always look the way they do today. In an article by Michael Blum, Ph.D. and Harry Roberts, Ph.D. titled “The Mississippi Delta Region: Past, Present, and Future” published in The Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences (vol. 40), researchers …

More than 100 Gulf Coast cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce urge Congress to pass RESTORE Act

Yesterday, 118 leaders representing cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce from all five gulf states sent a joint letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass the RESTORE Act. If passed, the RESTORE Act would direct the majority of fines paid by those responsible for the 2010 gulf oil spill back to Gulf Coast communities. Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the RESTORE Act as part of their transportation bills. The legislation …

Managing the Mississippi River for ecosystem restoration, navigation and flood protection: A win-win-win

By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Coastal Scientist, National Wildlife Federation The Mississippi River is one of the largest rivers in the world, carrying water, nutrients and sediment across America’s heartland, through Louisiana and into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study is a Louisiana Coastal Area project that has recently been initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The purpose of this 5-year, large-scale study is to …