Drawing Louisiana's New Map Addressing Land Loss in Coastal Louisiana (2006) / Chapter Skim
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3 Conflicts and Limitations to Achieving Goals
3 Conflicts and Limitations to Achieving Goals
Pages 43-62
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From page 43... ...
will likely encounter · Examines the role of area size and associated sediment delivery costs to counter subsidence · Discusses activities within the Mississippi River watershed that contribute to land loss in Louisiana Saving Louisiana's coastal region is a very complex and -- in planning parlance -- a "wicked" problem (see Chapter 5)
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From page 44... ...
Thus, flood control contributes to land loss, and reversing this land loss will require reflooding the area in order to preserve human habitation and agricultural productivity. Because of the extent of observed land loss across the entire Louisiana coastal area, it is clear that the constraints of existing development and the need for a minimum amount of water in the Mississippi River will limit the amount and location of any restoration.
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From page 45... ...
was put back to that of some earlier time. Obviously, it would take many more small diversions, such as those typically carried out under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
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From page 46... ...
With this in mind, the LCA Study's planning documents and programmatic environmental impact statement have noted the concerns of different interest groups. Navigation Versus Restoration: The Example of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet The Mississippi River is an important waterway for shipping goods into and out of the U.S.
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. From the industry's perspective, this means, at a minimum, that the Port of New Orleans would complete the expanded container facilities on the Mississippi River and improve ship access through the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal.
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As discussed earlier, subsidence of the Louisiana coastal area may also be affected by the extraction of oil and gas found below the marshes. Commercial and Recreational Fishing Commercial and recreational fishing are two of the most significant industries in the economy of the study area.
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. The large expanse of coastal wetlands and estuaries provides support during the critical life stages of important commercial and recreational species.
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and concerns that the restoration processes may intensify the problems within the receiving areas or adversely affect human health through consumption of contaminated finfish and shellfish. Recreation and Tourism The abundance of natural and cultural resources in the Louisiana coastal region supports a diversity of recreational activities.
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. Optimal wetland restoration benefits may require major river diversions to flood prime agricultural land, and roads needed to transport crops to market could also be impacted.
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52 in 1997 Percentage Change Average Production Since 30 33 15 38 6 4 37 50 37 14 81 7 3 0 11 NA 20 NA 2002 Average Production in (dollars) 343,231 15,352 155,064 32,345 66,067 155,684 34,391 15,654 85,533 386,211 170,345 358,871 20,748 53,275 98,230 47,046 1997 in Farm Since Percentage Change Average Size 22 16 16 27 30 4 0 4 21 NA 27 NA 44 31 147 10 17 in 2 km A Size in in (1.0)
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From page 53... ...
Flood Control and Land Building Nearly two million Louisiana residents live in the coastal zone, and the culture and socioeconomic structure of the population has evolved to depend on the presence and productivity of wetlands, as well as the flood protection provided by levees. Community and regional growth would not have been possible without construction of an extensive network of levees and floodgates along the Mississippi River for flood protection.
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Mary 1,781 1,751 2,468 602 St. Tammany 2,265 8,044 6,866 3,551 Tangipahoa 1,516 3,638 4,436 1,568 Terrebonne 4,916 3,248 3,437 1,668 Vermilion 3,435 1,660 1,410 773 Total 31,355 66,105 73,375 31,002 State totals 78,167 145,850 187,499 65,247 Percentage of state totals 40.1 45.3 39.1 47.5 of a project's total cost -- for land purchase and relocation of homes, residences, and businesses reflects the constraints of flooding currently inhabited or agriculturally productive lands (U.S.
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From page 55... ...
Although many parishes have zoning and building permits required for development, few have comprehensive plans. The result of having no comprehensive master plan is that when coastal restoration activities (e.g.,
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From page 56... ...
begin to take place and homes and businesses are relocated, decisions about where people can relocate will have to be made. Without comprehensive planning, it is possible that the homes or businesses affected may move to an area that is being considered as part of a future project or an area facing greater risk as land loss continues.
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From page 57... ...
57 of Units Access Vehicle a Percentage Housing Without to 12.6 6.6 10.8 9.3 9.4 5.0 27.3 9.6 10.3 6.4 10.2 9.5 13.2 4.4 10.3 9.2 9.4 of Homes Percentage Mobile 30.4 29.7 21.3 1.9 17.8 32.0 0.3 31.5 7.9 11.0 20.9 12.6 21.4 11.4 23.9 17.6 20.4 of Units Percentage Rental 15.6 14.1 26.4 36.1 21.7 16.0 53.3 20.9 25.3 18.6 14.2 19.0 26.0 19.3 26.0 24.2 22.7 of Area Coastal Percentage Owner-Occupied Units 52.7 49.3 53.3 58.8 58.4 52.5 39.6 46.5 65.0 69.5 64.1 69.7 52.5 66.2 46.4 56.6 54.5 census. of Units 2000 Louisiana's in 8,239 3,592 25,381 9,021 6,992 Number Occupied Housing 176,234 32,057 32,603 188,251 25,123 16,422 14,283 19,317 69,253 36,558 35,997 19,832 Bureau's Census of Units U.S.
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From page 58... ...
Other Broad Challenges and Opportunities All of the LCA Study's planned restoration efforts to reverse the loss of coastal lands are proposed to occur in Louisiana. Sound science focuses on taking a watershed approach to solving water quality and quantity problems (National Research Council, 2004a)
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From page 59... ...
Kesel (1988) found that there has been a decrease in excess of 80 percent in the amount of suspended sediment transported by the lower Mississippi River below Tarbert Landing, Mississippi, from 1851 to 1982.
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Gaining public acceptance for wetland restoration will be difficult when homes and businesses require relocation or when owners are prevented from reoccupying properties damaged by recent hurricanes that are in areas needed to support restoration efforts. The LCA Study does not propose any programs that might stem any upper watershed contributors to coastal land loss and hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.
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From page 61... ...
With the certainty that even the most optimistic Louisiana coastal landform of the future will differ from that at present, the emphasis should be on establishing realistic estimates of future landforms and conveying these to stakeholders. Restoration efforts should be focused to maximize targeted ecological, social, and economic benefits while promoting managed retreat in selected regions.
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From page 62... ...
62 DRAWING LOUISIANA'S NEW MAP Future efforts must be more realistic in considering the location patterns of human settlements relative to project locations, including the option of infrastructure depreciation and abandonment. These sociopolitical challenges will be revisited in subsequent chapters as the adaptive management mechanisms currently included in the LCA Study are reviewed.
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