An agreement signed Friday by federal and state officials could help advance a stalled plan to restore wetlands destroyed by a notorious southeast Louisiana shipping channel labeled a "hurricane highway" after Katrina, but money must still be approved for the work.
The deal comes with the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaching next week and as coastal advocacy groups press the Army Corps of Engineers to move forward on the plan for the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, or MRGO. The agreement was signed by the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Corps, a statement from both agencies said.
The original plan in 2012 aimed to restore and protect around 57,000 acres of wetlands and coastal habitat. It was estimated to cost $3 billion at the time, though the first phase addressed in Friday's agreement alone amounted to $1.3 billion. The total cost in today's dollars is certainly far higher, but the amounts remain to be determined.
The Mississippi River Ð Gulf Outlet Canal (abbreviated as MRGO or MR-GO) is a 76 mi channel constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the direction of Congress in the mid-20th century that provided a shorter route between the Gulf of Mexico and New Orleans' inner harbor Industrial Canal via the Intracoastal Waterway. In 2005, although disputed by the Corps of Engineers, the MRGO channeled Hurricane Katrina's storm surge into the heart of Greater New Orleans, contributing significantly to the subsequent multiple engineering failures experienced by the region's hurricane protection network. In the aftermath the channel was closed. A permanent storm surge barrier was constructed in the MRGO in 2009, and the channel has been closed to maritime shipping. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ORG XMIT: NOLA1508141147430007
Friday's agreement prioritizes around 57 miles of restoration as a first step, focusing on vulnerable shorelines in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. It sets out a plan for design work.
The projects include protection along a stretch of the southeast shore of Lake Borgne from Bayou Dupre to Proctor Point as well as from Lake Pontchartrain to Bayou Chevee. Other work is planned along Lake Borgne between Alligator Point and The Rigolets.
'Time to get to work'
Congress specified in a 2022 law that the plan is to be 100% federally funded. That resolved a long-standing dispute between the state and the Corps of Engineers, which had initially sought a traditional cost split where it would cover 65% and the state the remainder.
“Today’s signing marks a long-awaited step forward," CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare said in a statement. “The communities impacted by the MRGO have endured decades of damage. Now it’s time to get to work protecting our coast and restoring vital ecosystems.”
Col. Scotty Autin, commander of the Corps' New Orleans district, said the signing "showcased our partnership at the federal level with the state of Louisiana through CPRA to ensure we have the alignment and focus needed for this important ecosystem restoration project."
Congress must still appropriate money for the restoration projects themselves. A relatively small amount of federal money — around $250,000 — is currently available for planning work. The state has pursued portions of the plan on its own in the meantime, using a variety of funding.
Lake Borgne Surge Barrier and the MRGO east of New Orleans. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune) ORG XMIT: BAT2012091247270760
Finding further money may be a challenge as the Trump administration pursues deep cuts to the federal government, including at the Corps of Engineers.
State officials have long argued that Louisiana should not be held responsible for the widespread damage caused by the shipping channel, often referred to as the "Mr. Go." The channel was closed with a rock dam in 2009 near where it meets Bayou La Loutre, around Hopedale in St. Bernard Parish, but the wetlands destruction it caused remains.
'Needs to move faster'
Plan for restoration projects related to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.
The 76-mile shipping channel, fully opened in 1968 as a shortcut from the Gulf to the doorstep of New Orleans, was labeled a “hurricane highway” by many Louisiana officials who said it funneled storm surge into New Orleans during Katrina, contributing to the levee failures that flooded the city. The Corps has downplayed the channel’s role during Katrina, but there is no dispute over its gradual destruction of wetlands and swamp that helped protect the region from storm surge.
The channel helped erode vast swaths of wetlands adjacent to it while funneling in salt water that destroyed cypress and tupelo swamp. The Pontchartrain Conservancy nonprofit has estimated that the channel impacted more than a million acres of coastal habitat.
Coastal restoration advocacy groups have renewed a push for action in the run up to the Aug. 29 anniversary of Katrina. Those groups include the MRGO Must Go Coalition, which has long advocated for the Corps to address the damage done by the shipping channel.
"Today’s milestone brings us a significant step forward in the long-overdue restoration of the MRGO-impacted coast. While we welcome this progress, we recognize that this effort needs to move faster," said Amanda Moore, senior director of the National Wildlife Federation's Gulf Program and the coordinator of MRGO Must Go. "The urgency of restoring our coastal resilience cannot be overstated."
