Earned Media
Coastal Restoration In Louisiana
CRCL's Policy Director speaks with Tommy Tucker about the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion:
News
$2 billion wetlands restoration project nears final approval
“What this project is about is mimicking the natural process that built the state of Louisiana to begin with," said Chip Kline, chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. “This is the best was to sustain the Barataria Basin and a critical component of southeast Louisiana over the long term.”
The diversion is expected to build as much as 27 square miles of new land in the basin by 2050.
Louisiana has lost about 2,000 square miles since 1932.
Kline says coastal restoration means better hurricane protection for the greater New Orleans area.
“When you reestablish the natural buffer, recreate those wetlands and those marshlands, it helps it knock down that storm surge,” Kline said. “For every mile of coastal wetlands that exist, storm surge can be knocked down by one foot.”