The state of Louisiana has officially canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project. Once billed as the largest-ever coastal restoration effort of its kind, the $3 billion project had long been considered the cornerstone of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “Every year 25-35 square miles of land off the coast of Louisiana–an area larger than Manhattan-disappears into the water due to a combination of subsidence (soil settling) and global sea level rise.
As Louisiana Public Radio’s Coastal Desk reports, the Mid-Barataria would have diverted water carrying sediment from the Mississippi River to build back eroded land in lower Plaquemines Parish. The project was intended to create 5,000 acres of new wetlands in 10 years and up to 17,000 in 30 years, according to Louisiana state public informational materials. Construction had even gotten underway in August 2023, before being put on hold.
The state’s Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority (CPRA) released a statement saying the project would no longer be moving forward. The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, which oversees the funds provided for the project said the CPRA determined “the project is no longer viable due to ongoing lawsuits and the Army Corps of Engineers suspending its permit."
But others have challenged that assessment. Among them is Amanda Moore, with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF). She says the project had decades of science and planning behind it. “We needed Mid-Barataria, frankly many, you know, decades ago. and it was a really big deal that it was under construction finally, and we had the resources to do it. And now all of that is cast aside.” The state already spent over $600,000 on the project. The remaining funds will return to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust.”
As Louisiana Public Radio reports, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project is being replaced with a smaller scale project called the Myrtle Grove project. Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser says this smaller-scaled project will achieve the goal in a much more cost-effective way.
But the cancelation is seen by others, like former Louisiana Congressman Garret Graves, as one of the largest setbacks for coastal protection in decades.
