Plaquemines Parish

Louisiana citrus farmers are seeing a mass influx of salt water that could threaten seedlings

The Associated Press

Citrus farmers in the southeast corner of Louisiana are scrambling to protect and save their crops from salt water, which for months has polluted the fresh water they use for irrigation.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Col. Cullen Jones, who commands the New Orleans District, provides an update on his office's measures to address a "saltwater wedge" moving up a historically low Mississippi River during a news conference on Sept. 15, 2023.

Coastal Desk

Salt water threatens South Louisiana drinking water second year in a row amid severe drought

Halle Parker

As the Mississippi River drops to one of its lowest levels in recent history, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said salt water from the Gulf of Mexico could threaten drinking water as far north as New Orleans’ French Quarter if no action is taken.

Excavators roll over newly built land on Louisiana's Spanish Pass restoration site in 2022, attempting to reverse some of the land loss in Barataria Bay.

Coastal Desk

Levees, oil wells biggest causes of Barataria Basin land loss: study

Mark Schleifstein, Times-Picayune/The Advocate

A new study of the dramatic loss of wetlands in the Barataria Basin south of New Orleans during the last 130 years concludes that the two main causes have been construction of levees along the Mississippi River and subsidence due to oil and gas activity.But the study also contains potential good news: There may be enough sediment in the river to rebuild coastal land, disputing earlier estimates.

A newly-formed cut in the east bank of Plaquemines Parish known as Neptune Pass has begun diverted huge amounts of Mississippi River water. Recent research suggests it's also a rare site of new land-building on Louisiana's coast.

Coastal Desk

New Mississippi River channel is actually building land on disappearing coast, research says

Halle Parker

A contentious channel formed off the Mississippi River has begun to build new land off Plaquemines Parish’s east bank, according to research published Tuesday.

An aerial view of broken wetlands in Plaquemines Parish. Projections by Climate Central indicate that the parish could lose another 100,000 acres of wetlands by the end of the century.

Coastal Desk

Army Corps greenlights Louisiana’s $2.2 billion sediment diversion to combat land loss

Halle Parker

In a historic decision, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed off on Louisiana’s $2.2 billion plan to divert muddy Mississippi River water into Plaquemines Parish’s degraded wetlands to rebuild land on Monday.

A graphic rendering of Venture Global's planned Plaquemines LNG facility, under construction on Plaquemines Parish's west bank south of the Myrtle Grove community.

Coastal Desk

Environmental groups sue Louisiana over permitting of $13.2B LNG plant, fear of flooding

Halle Parker

Several environmental groups are suing Louisiana over its 2019 decision to allow a 630-acre liquefied natural gas plant to move forward in Plaquemines Parish without a key coastal permit.

Overview of Plaquemines Parish, where the encroaching saltwater wedge threatens drinking water quality for residents.

Coastal Desk

Too much saltwater is flowing up the Mississippi River, impacting drinking water in Plaquemines

Kezia Setyawan

Due to dry weather causing a lack of freshwater outflow, saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is encroaching into the Mississippi River — and it’s concerning state and local officials.

An aerial shot of wetlands in southeast Louisiana.

Coastal Desk

A final verdict on a $2.2B bid to rebuild Louisiana's lower third is closer than ever

Halle Parker

After nearly 40 years, a final decision on the state’s $2.2 billion bid to reconnect the Mississippi River to the sediment-starved marshes on Plaquemines Parish’s east bank is closer than ever.

On the east bank of Plaquemines Parish, across the river from the small town of Buras, a new cut known as Neptune Pass, a new cut in the river bank has opened and is growing rapidly, stirring concerns from all levels of government and disagreement over its future.

Coastal Desk

Louisiana, coastal advocates push the Corps to keep a new cut in the Mississippi River open

Halle Parker

Louisiana’s coastal authority and advocates continue to fight the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the future of a new cut along the Mississippi River on Plaquemines Parish’s east bank. The final decision on whether the channel will remain open looms, with the potential to come down in the next few months, and, as it stands, the odds aren’t in their favor.

On the east bank of Plaquemines Parish, across the river from the small town of Buras, a new cut in the river bank has opened and is growing rapidly, stirring concerns from all levels of government.

Coastal Desk

Navigation or restoration? New Mississippi River cut renews questions over management

Halle Parker

For some, the channel — referred to as Neptune Pass by federal and state officials — presents an opportunity for research and coastal restoration as Louisiana’s protective wetlands continue to slip away. But as more water branches off from the river’s main stem, a slower Mississippi River could pose navigational challenges for the oceangoing vessels that traverse the ship channel.