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La. Plan to Reclaim Land Would Divert the Mississippi
Keith Brunet's house in Isle de Jean Charles, La., is surrounded by dying trees and a yard that no longer supports a tomato garden because of saltwater intrusion.
(By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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While the levees have aroused the noisiest debate so far, the vast river diversions, which could place river-dependent industries at risk, may pose larger challenges.
For starters, some scientists warn that the river diversions will not work in time to rescue threatened communities. "It could be hundreds or thousands of years before we see a spot of land," said Kerry St. Pé, director for Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. But whether it's hundreds or thousands of years, it will be too long, he said: "Right now we are at absolute collapse."
By removing all or most of the flow from the Mississippi River's main channel, the more than 6,000 ships that travel through New Orleans to the ocean each year -- carrying chemicals, coal and a significant portion of the nation's grain exports -- may have to find an alternate route nearby, possibly through a system of locks and canals. That would increase travel time and add to costs. The plan also calls for closing shipping to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, a navigation channel that some scientists said acted as a "superhighway" for storm surge caused by Katrina.
The diversions would also dilute salt water in estuaries, altering the region's shrimp and oyster harvest, one of the largest in the nation.
Some in the oyster industry waged a protracted legal battle over a smaller river diversion, but attitudes may have shifted. Oysterman Ralph "Buddy" Pausina, a member of the state's oyster task force, said they cannot stop the plan, adding: "The coast has to be protected."
In response to the myriad concerns, supporters say the plan remains largely conceptual. They focus instead on its urgency.
"Look, if we solve this problem, yes, it's going to hurt some people," said Windell Curole, a native of the affected area and a member of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. "But if we don't solve it, it's going to hurt all the people."
Curole and others note that although the problem of the ocean overtaking the coast is for now specific to Louisiana, some global-warming scenarios lead scientists to say it is just a portent of what could happen to other coastal areas in the United States.
"We're not the only ones who will have to deal with this if the seas keep rising," Coffee said. "Just the first."
