Mississippi’s 2020 (virtual) Coastal Restoration Summit
This is a report on some of the restoration subjects covered at MDEQ’s 2020 Coastal Restoration Summit which was held in a virtual “Zoom conference” format on Nov. 10th.
Bonnet Carré Spillway
Fight over restoration dollars in MS
Mississippi’s Gulf coast faces major environmental challenges – the devastation of the oyster industry from numerous disasters, most recently the opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway; bacteria and water pollution hurting coastal tourism and fisheries; and the long-term loss of coastal habitat that helps sustain the Sound’s ecosystem.
Community forum discussion veered away from Bonnet Carre Spillway at Sun Herald event in Gulfport
At the Sun Herald newspaper’s recent Community Forum on the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway and its effects on coastal Mississippi, the discussion moved from the advertised topic to Louisiana’s Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, as yet unbuilt, but part of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s coastal master plan. Unfortunately, the sponsoring Louisiana agency, CPRA, was not represented on the Sun Herald’s speaker panel to take part in the discussion.
The Opening of the Bonnet Carrẻ
The Opening of the Bonnet Carrẻ In light of record flooding of the Ohio and other tributaries of the Mississippi River, the Army Corps has announced it’s considering opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway to 100,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) or more, around May 9. The River is rising, and so a release now will …