Posted on April 30, 2025
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put a halt to the project’s permit, saying the state “deliberately withheld” crucial information.
NEW ORLEANS — Work on the ambitious $3 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, a plan nearly two decades in the making, has been abruptly suspended.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has put a halt to the project’s permit, saying the state “deliberately withheld” crucial information.
Dr. Robert Thomas, a Loyola University environmental communications professor, emphasized the project’s vital role in the state’s comprehensive Coastal Restoration Master Plan.
“For years we’ve been taking water from the bottom of the river and other sources and putting it out into the marshes and recreating wetlands,” Dr. Thomas explained, “That’s been very effective, but we felt like we needed something bigger.”
The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, designed to strategically divert sediment-rich water from the Mississippi River into the eroding Barataria Basin, was envisioned as that “bigger” solution.
However, a letter obtained by WWL Louisiana reveals the Corps’ perspective, stating the permit suspension is a direct consequence of the state’s actions.
These actions reportedly include unresolved negotiations with Plaquemines Parish and Governor Landry’s recent decision to impose a 90-day halt on construction.
The development has ignited a fiery exchange between current Governor Jeff Landry and his predecessor, John Bel Edwards.
Governor Landry swiftly took to social media, placing the blame on former Governor Edwards for allegedly concealing reports related to the project. Edwards denied these accusations, labeling the claims as “flat out wrong.”
In his own online response, Edwards asserted, “Gov. Landry’s attempt to scapegoat is exactly why partisan politics has no place in Louisiana’s coastal restoration work, but he can’t help himself.”
Landry has voiced concerns regarding the project’s substantial dredging costs, potential negative impacts on the fishing industry, and possible contamination of drinking water sources.
Despite these concerns, coastal advocates are sounding the alarm, stressing the urgent need for action.
“There’s a whole camp of people who are very focused on their culture and what it will do to their culture,” Thomas said, “And so by putting a lot of fresh water into the Barataria, and a lot of these other issues, they’re worried it’s going to change their way of life and it will, but if we do nothing, the way of life is going to change. So, it’s desperate that we make some good decisions.”
The permit suspension arrives even as the state has secured the necessary funding for the ambitious undertaking.
Now, the onus falls on the Coastal Protection Restoration Authority, a state entity, to provide a satisfactory response to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Restore the Mississippi River Delta said in a statement that the project has been a cornerstone of every Coastal Master Plan since 2007:
“Recent political shifts from leadership on this project – and the potential implications for Louisiana’s world-renowned coastal program—are deeply concerning for Louisiana’s future,” Restore the Mississippi River Delta said, “The Landry administration is threatening this project without peer-reviewed scientific and engineering reports independently verified through the original methodology, all of which undermines the very process essential for building and restoring Louisiana’s coast. Our coastal program has always successfully prioritized science and the public good over politics. We cannot afford to play political games with the future of Louisiana.”
