SAVING LOUISIANA'S COASTLINE When it comes to gulf coast erosion, the state that comes to mind as having the most critical loss is Louisiana. It’s a story that’s as old as the Mississippi River as coastal conditions have worsened over time, the construction of flood levees and dredged boat channels through coastal wetlands have added to the problem. But there’s some effort being made to try and keep Louisiana’s coastal areas from disappearing. Johnny Bradberry, heads Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and explained to Baton Rouge Press Club Monday that coastal erosion efforts are getting better. “You hear the cliché that we lose a football field every hour? Well, we’ve kind of improved that a little bit; we’re losing a football field every hundred minutes which is still a bad situation.”
Back in 2007, Bradberry was head of La. Department of Transportation and Development and convinced lawmakers for the need for the agency he leads now. It was estimated at the time that Louisiana had lost 1900 square miles of coastal area for the past 75 years. Flood protection levees and dredged boat channels in wetlands have contributed to the land loss but Bradberry says so has climate change and sea level rises. Bradberry says Louisiana’s Congressional delegation has to keep vigilant to keep federal funding earmarked for coastal relief.
