Louisiana drops plan to divert Mississippi River sediment

The administration of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry recently abandoned plans for large-scale sediment diversion projects. These projects had been central to the state's coastal restoration program.

The state cites concerns from commercial fishermen. They argued that diverting large amounts of river water could damage marine life and commercial fisheries.

The decision reverses a strategy to use the river's natural flow to rebuild land. The Mississippi River Delta covers about 2.7 million acres. It includes the largest area of brackish marsh on the North American continent.

The region is shrinking. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that Louisiana has lost roughly 2,000 square miles of wetlands since 1932. A recent study by the University of California found that South Louisiana is sinking faster than any other river delta on Earth.

Experts point to several causes for the land loss. These include subsidence, sea-level rise, and oil field canals that disrupted natural tidal flows. The levee system installed after the 1927 flood also plays a role. It cut the river off from the delta it once nourished with sediment during annual floods.

Geologist Chris McLindon compared the historical sediment load to the Himalayas. He noted that the river delivered a volume of material comparable to flipping the mountain range upside down at sea level. Modern infrastructure now traps much of that sediment upstream of New Orleans.

Foster Creppel, an activist in Plaquemines Parish, supports the diversion idea. He said the state must unite to save the coast. 'If we continue fighting over it, we really don't have a chance,' he said.