Land Loss in Louisiana

[Nutriaitch]

Something I've always been passionate about is the amount of land lost to coastal erosion here in Louisiana.

Most of you probably don't really care about this topic, but I'm curious:
are people outside of Southern Louisiana even aware of the rate we're losing our land?


The changes I've seen just since my teens has been drastic. Devastating in some areas. And the projections going forward are not a pretty picture for my home town either.


the following pictures (courtesy of Google Earth) are areas that I've fished my entire life. I launch my boat about 2 miles from my house. all of these pictures less than a 30 minute boat ride from that launch.


Mouth of Bayou Terrebonne 1998:

Mouth of Bayou Terrebonne 2012:

One of my favorite fishing spots 2004:

Same Spot 2012:

Mouth of Bayou Barre/Charles Theriot 1998:

Same area 2012:

 

[scooter1369]

Staggering. But what exactly can be done about it? The Moon is going to do moon things and cause tides. Florida is losing land, and certainly every coastal area is. Erosion happens.

 

[scarletmike]

Yeah, it is pretty impressive, but is it really that preventable without changing other natural things? Also, is this caused by other man-made things like trying to control the River to extent we've done over the years? Maybe by lessening our control on nature, other things could be brought back to a better balance, like slower coastal erosion?

 

[Nutriaitch]

Staggering. But what exactly can be done about it?

A lot of it is our own doing, and all but unfixable (or fixable in a completely unrealistic way that will never happen).

for centuries, the Mississippi would flood its banks on a regular basis, covering the ground with a fresh layer of silt, and building up the land around the delta.

well, now that the river is completely leveled off, that silt is no longer building the land. so the land is sinking into the gulf. Now obviously, we can't tear down those levees, because New Orleans would disappear completely.

However, there has to be diversion methods that can be used somehow.
I don't have that answer. I have a few ideas, but who pays for them?

For one, there is a continuous process of the mouth of the river being dredged. This is some of the most fertile silt in the country. Those dredge ships drive out into the Gulf and dumps it off the continental shelf.
Why can't that silt be somehow pumped into the Barataria Basin?


For proof that this silt alone would do wonders, research the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River. A man made structure sends 30% of the the Mississippi down that river. At the mouth of that River, Louisiana is GAINING land at a steady clip.

 

[Nutriaitch]

Yeah, it is pretty impressive, but is it really that preventable without changing other natural things? Also, is this caused by other man-made things like trying to control the River to extent we've done over the years? Maybe by lessening our control on nature, other things could be brought back to a better balance, like slower coastal erosion?

most of it is man made.
The river would love to change it's course further west. There's proof that the river has done that many times in the past.

We're no longer allowing it to do so. Mainly because New Orleans and Baton Rouge would most likely no longer be river cities.
Without the river, what exactly is New Orleans? not much.

 

[scarletmike]

I had a feeling it had to do with how we've handled the Mississippi more than anything. I think the dredged silt is a start, but probably wouldn't be enough.

 

[Nutriaitch]

I had a feeling it had to do with how we've handled the Mississippi more than anything. I think the dredged silt is a start, but probably wouldn't be enough.

another huge contributing factor is the oil companies.
many decades ago, they came through here and dug pipeline canals through healthy marsh.
Those canals allowed the saltwater a way in which began killing off the marsh.

my dad did a ton of fishing from late 60's to late 70's.
when he describes some of these area, it's almost hard for me to fathom what they once looked like.

He still fishes several times a year, but get lost quite easily now.
and not because he's going senile. but because what he would once use as landmarks no longer exist. and areas that were once completely inaccessible by boat are now open water.

 

[Nutriaitch]

For proof that this silt alone would do wonders, research the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River. A man made structure sends 30% of the the Mississippi down that river. At the mouth of that River, Louisiana is GAINING land at a steady clip.

in less than 25 years, look at the land gained at the mouth of the Atchafalaya

1989:

2012:

 

[Muck]

I'm thinking the best solution would be to build a dam and create a large fresh water reservoir that stretches from roughly Montgomery to Dallas to Cairo.

Just thing of the tourist dollars for the north american mediteranean! Future water issues would be eliminated. There would be huge savings in shipping costs if locks were installed to allow container vessels passage to the gulf.

Win, win, win.

 

[Apache]

Soon the deserts will be fertile wetlands. Everyone should buy land in the geographic center of the United States as a hedge for the future.

 

[Muck]

For one, there is a continuous process of the mouth of the river being dredged. This is some of the most fertile silt in the country. Those dredge ships drive out into the Gulf and dumps it off the continental shelf.

That is probably the easiest solution as it could be done without much additional expense (and I'm sure someone could draw up a projection that there would be a long term return on the investment).

 

[AKAK]

A lot of it is our own doing, and all but unfixable (or fixable in a completely unrealistic way that will never happen).

for centuries, the Mississippi would flood its banks on a regular basis, covering the ground with a fresh layer of silt, and building up the land around the delta.

well, now that the river is completely leveled off, that silt is no longer building the land. so the land is sinking into the gulf. Now obviously, we can't tear down those levees, because New Orleans would disappear completely.

However, there has to be diversion methods that can be used somehow.
I don't have that answer. I have a few ideas, but who pays for them?

For one, there is a continuous process of the mouth of the river being dredged. This is some of the most fertile silt in the country. Those dredge ships drive out into the Gulf and dumps it off the continental shelf.
Why can't that silt be somehow pumped into the Barataria Basin?


For proof that this silt alone would do wonders, research the Mouth of the Atchafalaya River. A man made structure sends 30% of the the Mississippi down that river. At the mouth of that River, Louisiana is GAINING land at a steady clip.

Good questions all... and yeah, I'm no expert on this but, my impression on this problem was that because of the flood controls there wasn't enough water flow (or fast enough, or whatever) to get the silt into the delta... and I guess that's what you're saying here.

Now pumping the silt into the barataria basin may cause more trouble. I only say this because we have a problem in the great lakes with Bule Green Algae (which really more like primordial stew bacteria, whatever, its a problem) anyway, its quite fashionable to blame the blooms on agricultural run-off (and that's valid) and climate change (maybe if climate change causes more rain, sure.. but, whatever) So, in 2011, it was a big dammed mess in the western basin... but, it wasn't a particularly warm summer, though I do think it rained a good amount... (2012 was very warm, not much of a bloom, but, a dry spring). ANYWHO...

What they like to leave out was that they decided to do a very extensive dredge of the maumee river that year and dumped it out in the lake. (Which they do sometimes but I think toledo does have a containment faciltiy for the silt).... I'm sure bestbuck being a maumee fisherman knows the details better than I.

 

[AKAK]

That is probably the easiest solution as it could be done without much additional expense (and I'm sure someone could draw up a projection that there would be a long term return on the investment).

37 billion.

 

[ochre]

Well, it is in the SEC, so somehow even this loss will end up counting as much as a win.

 

[scooter1369]

Well, it is in the SEC, so somehow even this loss will end up counting as much as a win.

GPA?