Louisiana's Coastline: The Cost of Inaction

The Mississippi River Delta is shrinking at a rate that outpaces recovery efforts in South Louisiana. The region encompasses approximately 2.7 million acres, including the largest brackish marsh system on the North American continent. This ecosystem supports commercial fisheries, wildlife habitats, and serves as a critical migratory route for birds.

A University of California study recently determined that South Louisiana is sinking faster than any other river delta on Earth. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the state has lost roughly 2,000 square miles of wetlands since 1932. Drivers of this loss include subsidence, sea-level rise, and oil field canals that disrupted natural tidal flows. The Mississippi River levee system, installed after the 1927 flood, has further isolated the delta from the sediment that historically built the land.

Chris McLindon, a geologist active in coastal issues, provided a scale for the historical sediment volume. He noted that the amount of sediment delivered by the Mississippi to the Gulf Coast is comparable to the volume of the Himalayas if shaved off at sea level and flipped upside down. Modern studies indicate the river now delivers significantly less sediment, with much of it trapped behind locks and dams upstream from New Orleans.

Mark Davis, Research Professor and Director of the Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy at Tulane University, emphasized the economic and physical value of this buffer. He stated that cities like Miami or Norfolk, Virginia, lack the coastal capacity to create a sea-level rise storm buffer between themselves and landfalling hurricanes or bay waters.

The state recently altered its restoration strategy, abandoning plans for large-scale sediment diversion projects that had been central to its coastal program. The administration of Governor Jeff Landry sided with critics, including many commercial fishermen, who argued that large volumes of river water would damage marine life and commercial fisheries.

Louisiana has previously restored or nurtured 55,000 acres and more than 70 miles of barrier islands through various projects. Foster Creppel, an outdoorsman and coastal activist in Plaquemines Parish, described the wetlands as holding more life than almost anywhere else on the planet. He remains optimistic that the state can resolve internal disputes to save the delta.

Creppel warned that continued conflict over the approach would eliminate the chance to preserve the coastline. He said, "If we want to save this estuary and this coast, we have to come together. If we continue fighting over it, we really don't have a chance."