Louisiana coastal restoration officials have reached agreement with officials in Plaquemines Parish to renew some preparatory work for a nearly $3 billion coastal restoration project that has been halted amid legal disputes.
The agreement announced Thursday between the state and parish means a stop-work order is being partially lifted, allowing site preparation to resume for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.
The project is planned to divert some of the Mississippi River’s sediment-laden water into a new channel and guide it into the Barataria Basin southeast of New Orleans. If it works, the sediment will settle out in the basin and gradually restore land that has been steadily disappearing for decades.
Ground was broken for the project last year. However, it has drawn opposition and litigation from commercial fishers, oyster harvesters and some state and local officials who fear any benefits will be outweighed, economically and environmentally, by the introduction of fresh water into the brackish and saltwater areas.
