Saving Louisiana

The Times-Picayune has a story this morning on a new report by environmental groups regarding Louisiana flood control. The report covers both levees and wetlands restoration as methods of controlling storm surges. As Mark Schleifstein explains:

The environmental groups' plan is most aggressive in its proposed use of diversions and spillways to reintroduce Mississippi and Atchafalaya river water and sediment into wetlands and former wetlands areas.

Smaller, "sustaining" diversions of up to 20,000 cubic feet per second of water would be aimed at adding sediment and natural vegetative growth to existing land bridges deemed important as lines of defense in each coastal basin.

Larger "land-building" diversions of 100,000 cubic feet per second and greater -- enough water and sediment to fill the Superdome in just over 20 minutes -- would be aimed at building new land and wetlands in strategically placed open-water areas.

The full report is available here.