Louisiana’s accidental blueprint for restoring its coast

The Davis Pond diversion has helped wetlands in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin regain ground by bringing Mississippi River water and sediment into the area. The result offers evidence that river diversions can help counter coastal erosion, which has claimed land across southern Louisiana.

Louisiana has nevertheless cancelled two much larger planned diversions: the $3 billion Mid-Barataria project and the $1.8 billion Mid-Breton project. The state is planning five smaller diversion projects, with budget documents indicating at least $340 million in spending over the coming years. Since 2007, it has completed three diversions costing $47 million in total.