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 (Dec. 14), the Army Corps of Engineers and local levee officials have begun inspecting levees for signs of seepage or failure. The inspections are part of Phase 1 “flood fight” procedures that are generally triggered when the river reaches 11 feet at Carrollton and is forecast to continue rising…” (read more).

Army Corps starts levee patrols in south Louisiana due to high water in Mississippi River
By The Advocate. Dec. 14, 2015.
“Rising water in the Mississippi River has prompted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to start patrolling levees twice a week from Baton Rouge south…” (read more).

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Didn’t Just Affect U.S. Marine Life, Lawsuit Says
By Alejandro Davila Fragoso, Think Progress. Dec. 15, 2015.
“BP may have settled in United States court after the largest marine oil spill in history polluted the Gulf of Mexico, but now a Mexican civic organization is seeking remediation for alleged ecological damages from drifting contamination affecting Mexican sea life…” (read more).