User:Oliplat0303/Mississippi River Delta

2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast
The state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) brought together national and international scientists and engineers to create a $50-billion, 50-year plan to save Louisiana's coast. A CPRA-supported report noted that a social impact assessment was an important step to take before moving forward, but no such assessment took place. Regardless, the plan was unanimously approved by the legislature in May 2012 and outlines 109 projects that intends to bring long-term benefits, resiliency and sustainability to the communities and ecosystems along the coast. Within the plan there are projects that vary in size and impact, including, hydrologic restoration, sediment diversions, barrier island restoration and marsh creation projects. Some of the projects are already underway, but many of them still need further approval and funding authorization.


 * River Diversions: These projects are specifically characterized for their ability to reconnect the river to the delta and are designed to mimic the natural processes of sediment dispersion and delta growth. Examples of these types of projects are already underway including the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. Located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, this is identified as a critical restoration project by the LCA and would combine a "medium diversion with dedicated dredging" to achieve its intended results. The project would address the land loss in the Barataria Basin and bring sustainability and strength to the wetlands, preventing future loss and preserving critical ecosystems in the region. However, the project was also met with resistance from locals, including residents of Ironton, a historic African American community located near the diversion. They are worried about both the freshwater pouring into the estuary from the Mississippi River and its effect on commercial fisheries in the area, as well as the addition of several feet of water in the wetlands, posing risks during storms and flooding events. Those who have lived on the land for generations are also skeptical of the plan's motives, claiming that previous scientific endeavors (ex. Bohemia Spillway) have been racially motivated, leaving their community as well as other Black and immigrant communities in the area broken or erased from history. At a meeting with the Louisiana Costal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), a resident of Ironton shared her thoughts with officials:"'We understand that the scientists say [Ironton] is an ideal area. But someone needs to say, a mile south is a community. We need some humanity... Why us? Why always us? Everything negative is next to a black community. Sediment is not bad but we’re hoping someone can be an advocate for us.'"Relations between coastal scientists and Black oystermen have been disenchanted by a history of discriminatory practices against the oystermen. In the 1970's, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries banned the use of hand dredges for oystering, and the oystermen saw this as "a case of blatant racial discrimination operating under the guises of environmental protection." This ban came at a time when these Black oystermen were gaining autonomy in their work and income by using smaller, personal hand dredges to escape low-wage commercial fishing jobs. They fought against the ban in court arguing that it was a discriminatory law and got it was overturned.
 * Bohemia Spillway: In 1926, the Bohemia Spillway was proposed as an engineering experiment attempting to create a mechanism to assist levees with controlling high water events. 11 miles of levee were removed at this location, newly purchased land down the river from New Orleans. This second outlet for the Mississippi river was effective at mitigating flooding upstream during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. However, the acquisition of this land has controversial history that has its roots in today's coastal restoration efforts. The small Black and immigrant communities living on the land at the time were forcefully relocated under "threat of expropriation" and at gunpoint. It was documented in newspaper reports that residents were fully compensated for the loss of their land by the Orleans Levee Board, but this has been reviewed in legal cases and proved false. It was later revealed that this land was also the site of $43 million worth of oil and gas revenues as of the 1980s, giving residents reason to believe the true motive behind the Bohemia Spillway project was to acquire the oil, not for the sake of science. This history of deceit and marginalization and has lead to a communal distrust in science, and consequently, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project.
 * Bohemia Spillway: In 1926, the Bohemia Spillway was proposed as an engineering experiment attempting to create a mechanism to assist levees with controlling high water events. 11 miles of levee were removed at this location, newly purchased land down the river from New Orleans. This second outlet for the Mississippi river was effective at mitigating flooding upstream during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. However, the acquisition of this land has controversial history that has its roots in today's coastal restoration efforts. The small Black and immigrant communities living on the land at the time were forcefully relocated under "threat of expropriation" and at gunpoint. It was documented in newspaper reports that residents were fully compensated for the loss of their land by the Orleans Levee Board, but this has been reviewed in legal cases and proved false. It was later revealed that this land was also the site of $43 million worth of oil and gas revenues as of the 1980s, giving residents reason to believe the true motive behind the Bohemia Spillway project was to acquire the oil, not for the sake of science. This history of deceit and marginalization and has lead to a communal distrust in science, and consequently, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project.