AP Wire

La. takes bids on study toward coastal plan’s key project

by The Associated Press

Bids will be opened Nov. 16 for the study of the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion — a controlled opening that would be built through the Mississippi River levee in Plaquemines Parish.

Louisiana coastal marsh
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Louisiana's coastal restoration agency is taking bids for an environmental impact statement on a project it describes as a cornerstone of Louisiana's coastal master plan.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority says bids will be opened Nov. 16 for the study of the proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion — a controlled opening that would be built through the Mississippi River levee in Plaquemines Parish.

A study in 2014 estimated that it could build up to 22 square miles of land in Barataria Bay over 20 years.

Louisiana has lost nearly 1,900 square miles of coast since the 1930s.

An environmental coalition called Restore the Mississippi Delta says its members are pleased to see action and hope the state will meet its goal of breaking ground on the project by 2020.