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Louisiana's coast is a tapestry of natural wonders, teeming with life and rich in biodiversity. Its marshes, bayous, and wetlands form a delicate ecosystem that provides a habitat for a diverse array of plants and animals and serves as a vital buffer against hurricanes and storm surges.
However, this picturesque landscape is under threat. Louisiana's coastal land loss crisis has reached critical levels, with over 2,000 square miles lost from 1932-2015, according to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's 2023 Master Plan. CPRA warns that without intervention, another 3,000 square miles could be lost over the next 50 years.
“[Louisiana has] 40% of the coastal wetlands in the lower 48 states. But we have 80% of the wetland loss,” said John White, an associate dean of research and professor at the LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. "We're losing so much land so fast because there's probably somewhere between eight and 10 kilometers of mud sitting under Louisiana. That mud kind of compresses; it’s called subsidence. And we're sinking at the same time that the sea level is rising.”
One proposed solution is the Mid-Barataria sediment diversion, a $2.9-billion project part of an extensive network of efforts conducted by CPRA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers aiming to reconnect the Mississippi River with its deltaic wetlands.
Primarily funded by the Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement, the project is designed to mimic natural processes by diverting a portion of the river's flow and sediment near the town of Ironton into nearby marshes and basins. Proponents of the project say it would add up to 26,000 acres of wetland to the state marshes within 50 years.
However, the project has faced scrutiny and debate, partly due to a natural sediment diversion further along the river called Neptune Pass. Some argue that Neptune Pass is achieving similar outcomes without human intervention, leading to questions about the necessity of constructing a sediment diversion.
According to Alex Kolker, an oceanographer, geologist and climate scientist at Tulane University, while Neptune Pass is naturally occurring, the levees along the river in the Mid-Barataria area prevent such natural processes from occurring. Therefore, the Mid-Barataria project is essential to mimic the river's flow and restore the coast.
Some residents of Plaquemines Parish are also concerned about the project's effects. Stretching from Belle Chasse to the mouth of the Mississippi River, Plaquemines Parish is a region deeply intertwined with the river's ecosystem. Home to many commercial and recreational fishermen, the residents of this parish rely on the river for their livelihood. Because of this concern, the sediment diversion has faced backlash and legal challenges from community members.
Recently, the Louisiana fourth Circuit Court of Appeal ordered a lawsuit seeking to halt the project to return to a Plaquemines Parish courtroom. This decision followed a temporary stop-work order issued by the parish, which had halted construction of the diversion.
A coalition of conservationists, commercial and recreational fishermen and local residents from Plaquemines Parish have jointly filed an additional lawsuit. The plaintiffs aim to address alleged violations of environmental laws related to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project. They claim the Army Corps breached the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act in authorizing the project. Additionally, they allege the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Endangered Species Act by approving the project's impact on protected species.
One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit is Jurisich Oysters LLC, which asserts that its members have deep familial and personal connections to the region and significant personal and aesthetic stakes in the biological integrity of the Barataria Basin.
“The Mid-Barataria sediment diversion Project will indisputably harm the economic, personal, professional, and aesthetic interests of Jurisich and its members,” the lawsuit reads, a claim not without merit. Sediment diversion projects, such as this one, “will change the salinity of the bay, and that can impact the species that live there,” Kolker said.
However, CPRA remains committed to the project's success.
“We know the pendulum swings in the other direction, towards negative impacts, if you don't take action in this area,” said Simone Maloz, the campaign director for Restore The Mississippi River Delta.
If a community harmed by the diversion, almost $400 million of the $2.9 billion project funding has been allocated for mitigation, Maloz said.
The diversion’s construction is expected to span approximately five years.
"We did an economic analysis years ago. And in that five years of construction, tens of thousands of jobs were created," Maloz said.
These jobs are generated not only during the construction phase but also during the operation of the diversion, providing long-term economic benefits to the region.
Only time will tell if these benefits will be realized.
“The number one impediment to restoration is somebody filing a lawsuit, and then everything has to hold,” White said.
This article has been updated to clarify the existence of multiple pending lawsuits against the MBSD.
