Restoration engineers have one shot at the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion in the first year and will not know if their plan fails until the summer months later which is too late. This is because dead zones happen in the summer with an exponential increase of more dead zones from seafood life rotting and killing most of the marsh seafood in Louisiana which is about 1/3 of Louisiana. Also nurseries will die and there will be a large decrease in seafood.
Latest Mississippi River diversions strategies (2016) shows a transition time to allow for marshes and seafood nurseries etc. to adapt. This is good but does not include my suggestions for improving the diversions. My suggestions ((XX)) below were sent about 6 months ago per request of project management asking for engineering help. Their strategy and my suggestion should both be implemented maximizing development of ((many)) distributary channel network((s)), ((Further))reduce the risk of flooding to communities, ((Further))limit erosion of adjacent marshes, ((Further))reduce the shock to marsh plants and fish and wildlife species and allow them time to adjust and self-organize around the new conditions. ((Minimize dead zones because of many small distributaries from the Diversion Extension (DE) defined in my suggestion and fully open the diversion in summer months capturing summer floods and reservoir sediment arriving in Louisiana )).
RECOMMENDED KEY OPERATIONS STRATEGIES:
...1. Initial operation strategies will differ from long-term operation strategies:
a. Initial operation plans should include robust monitoring and flexibility to modify operations as the conditions in the basin change and adjust rapidly. Updates to the plan may be required more frequently based on an integrated and near real-time operations-monitoring feedback loop.
b. A sediment diversion cannot be operated at full capacity on Day 1. Gradually opening the diversion over time (an estimated 5-10 years) will facilitate the development of a distributary channel network, reduce the risk of flooding to communities, limit erosion of adjacent marshes, reduce the shock to marsh plants and fish and wildlife species and allow them time to adjust and self-organize around the new conditions.
((Dredge a 20 ft WXD 11 miles long canal, which becomes the Diversion Extension (DE), and constructed from the Mississippi River diversion location westward to open marsh waters and place the dredged material on the north side to build a berm. Mini-diversions can be added to the berm for support of north marshes with limiting flow and minimizing flooding in the town of Lafitte (7 miles north of the DE). When the diversion starts operating flow will travel westward to open waters carrying bed load and settlement. The south non-bermed side will over-flow in sheets of water along the length of the canal forming many small distributaries with shallow water. Canal sheet flows will vary as DE flow changes and the distributaries will have many small sheet flows on their outlets. South marshes will act as height (pressure) relief essentially keeping a steady marsh height as diversion flow increases thus preventing marsh drowning. Canal will be scoured fairly quickly and an equilibrium will be reached with a final much larger canal area (ft2). If needed earth movers can work along the canal in low water months to adjust land or distributaries))
c. To ensure that opening a diversion does not cause unnecessary plant stress and/or wetland loss, start operations during the non-growing season for the first 2-3 years to allow vegetation to adapt to the new conditions....
((My suggestion in b. will maximize this capability))
BUILDING LAND IN COASTAL LOUISIANA
Expert Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs, Report Summary http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/files/2016/07/MRDRC_OWG_Summary_Electronic.pdf
REF: Sediment diversion raises concerns about flooding and fishing in Jean Lafitte. http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/07/sediment_diversion_raises_conc.html
Contact the Governor: http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/4
House: http://house.louisiana.gov/
Senate: http://senate.la.gov/
Copy and paste below information and ask the Governor or as you want to state:
Dear Governor Edwards,
Please ask Louisiana Restoration project managers to consider suggestion below be added to 'Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs' as an added insurance diversion concerns will be minimized.
Reference Louisiana Sportsman post with suggestions and sketches:
https://www.louisianasportsman.com/lpca/index.php?section=reports&event=view&action=full_report&id=220167&sid=
BUILDING LAND IN COASTAL LOUISIANA
Expert Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs, Report Summary http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/files/2016/07/MRDRC_OWG_Summary_Electronic.pdf
Latest Mississippi River diversions strategies (2016) shows a transition time to allow for marshes and seafood nurseries etc. to adapt. This is good but does not include my suggestions for improving the diversions. My suggestions ((XX)) below were sent about 6 months ago per request of project management asking for engineering help. Their strategy and my suggestion should both be implemented maximizing development of ((many)) distributary channel network((s)), ((Further))reduce the risk of flooding to communities, ((Further))limit erosion of adjacent marshes, ((Further))reduce the shock to marsh plants and fish and wildlife species and allow them time to adjust and self-organize around the new conditions. ((Minimize dead zones because of many small distributaries from the Diversion Extension (DE) defined in my suggestion and fully open the diversion in summer months capturing summer floods and reservoir sediment arriving in Louisiana )).
RECOMMENDED KEY OPERATIONS STRATEGIES:
...1. Initial operation strategies will differ from long-term operation strategies:
a. Initial operation plans should include robust monitoring and flexibility to modify operations as the conditions in the basin change and adjust rapidly. Updates to the plan may be required more frequently based on an integrated and near real-time operations-monitoring feedback loop.
b. A sediment diversion cannot be operated at full capacity on Day 1. Gradually opening the diversion over time (an estimated 5-10 years) will facilitate the development of a distributary channel network, reduce the risk of flooding to communities, limit erosion of adjacent marshes, reduce the shock to marsh plants and fish and wildlife species and allow them time to adjust and self-organize around the new conditions.
((Dredge a 20 ft WXD 11 miles long canal, which becomes the Diversion Extension (DE), and constructed from the Mississippi River diversion location westward to open marsh waters and place the dredged material on the north side to build a berm. Mini-diversions can be added to the berm for support of north marshes with limiting flow and minimizing flooding in the town of Lafitte (7 miles north of the DE). When the diversion starts operating flow will travel westward to open waters carrying bed load and settlement. The south non-bermed side will over-flow in sheets of water along the length of the canal forming many small distributaries with shallow water. Canal sheet flows will vary as DE flow changes and the distributaries will have many small sheet flows on their outlets. South marshes will act as height (pressure) relief essentially keeping a steady marsh height as diversion flow increases thus preventing marsh drowning. Canal will be scoured fairly quickly and an equilibrium will be reached with a final much larger canal area (ft2). If needed earth movers can work along the canal in low water months to adjust land or distributaries))
c. To ensure that opening a diversion does not cause unnecessary plant stress and/or wetland loss, start operations during the non-growing season for the first 2-3 years to allow vegetation to adapt to the new conditions....
((My suggestion in b. will maximize this capability))
BUILDING LAND IN COASTAL LOUISIANA
Expert Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs, Report Summary http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/files/2016/07/MRDRC_OWG_Summary_Electronic.pdf
REF: Sediment diversion raises concerns about flooding and fishing in Jean Lafitte. http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/07/sediment_diversion_raises_conc.html
Contact the Governor: http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/form/home/4
House: http://house.louisiana.gov/
Senate: http://senate.la.gov/
Copy and paste below information and ask the Governor or as you want to state:
Dear Governor Edwards,
Please ask Louisiana Restoration project managers to consider suggestion below be added to 'Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs' as an added insurance diversion concerns will be minimized.
Reference Louisiana Sportsman post with suggestions and sketches:
https://www.louisianasportsman.com/lpca/index.php?section=reports&event=view&action=full_report&id=220167&sid=
BUILDING LAND IN COASTAL LOUISIANA
Expert Recommendations for Operating a Successful Sediment Diversion that Balances Ecosystem and Community Needs, Report Summary http://www.mississippiriverdelta.org/files/2016/07/MRDRC_OWG_Summary_Electronic.pdf
