The Louisiana coastline is eroding at an alarming rate, but several researchers and organizations are working to remedy the problem.
According to various media reports, a White House agency last month delayed the release of a study of coastal restoration alternatives, saying it wanted the study to focus on projects that can be completed within the first 10 years of an expected 30-year effort.
But, the state wants the study to take advantage of current knowledge and computer modeling.
The delay prompted state officials to begin working on their own summary of the plan, including alternative projects. A series of public hearings will be held across the state in April to gather public comments on the issue.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco spoke out on the issue in a Feb. 28 letter to the editor in the New York Times.
“Each year, Louisiana loses 25 to 35 square miles of coastal marsh, largely because of federal activities,” Blanco’s letter said. “And yet in their rewrite of the energy bill, Senate Republicans killed spending provisions addressing Louisiana’s coastal loss, while our residents have done just the opposite — dedicating state dollars to a federal-state restoration effort.”
Piers Chapman, director of LSU’s Coastal Restoration and Enhancement Through Science and Technology program, said Louisiana’s coastal erosion problem has many facets.
Chapman said the main problem is that the coastline is sinking, and sediment previously brought in by the Mississippi River is no longer arriving at the coast because of upstream flow.
Chapman said another problem is the number of levees built along the Mississippi River to prevent flooding. The levees were built in the late 1920s, when engineers and scientists did not consider the possible effects of erosion.
In order to combat the erosion problem, Chapman said several steps are involved, including finding ways to reinstate the natural flow of the river and determine if there is enough sediment left in the river to restore some of the coastline.
Gregory Stone, director of the University’s Coastal Studies Institute, said researchers with the institute are working on several projects dealing with the coastal erosion problem.
Stone said researchers are working on monitoring the effectiveness of breakwater structures along islands, and monitoring effects of hurricanes and tropical storms on the coastline.
Stone said University researchers play an important role in working on such projects and helping the coastal erosion problem.
“LSU is known all over the world for its coastal work,” Stone said.
Despite the ongoing research projects, Chapman said options are expensive, and issues of flooding and legal issues pose obstacles to helping the problem.
“In practice, there isn’t an easy option,” Chapman said.
Chapman said while it is probably impossible to stop erosion completely, he hopes the situation can be improved in the coming years.
“We’ve been losing land for the last 50 years or more,” Chapman said. “To some extent, we’re fighting a losing battle.”