Louisiana barrier island plan

The Louisiana barrier island plan is a project initiated by Louisiana to construct barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico protecting the coast of Louisiana from contamination by crude oil escaping from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. On May 27, 2010, acting on an application by the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, the United States Army Corps of Engineers offered an emergency permit to the state to commence work.[1]

The berms are 325 feet wide at the base and 25 feet wide at their summits, rising 6 feet above mean high water level.[2] If fully built, the system would be 128 miles long. In May, 2010 the federal government issued permits to construct 45 miles. BP agreed to pay the estimated $360 million initial cost. It is estimated that the initial 45 mile segment will be completed by November, 2010.[3]

Critics of the project maintain that it will be expensive and ineffective: involving use of over 100 million yards of dredged material, costing $360 million, and taking 6 months to build. Issues include the length of time necessary to construct miles of berm and the anticipated effects of both normal and storm erosion on the structures.[4][5] It is alleged by critics that the decision to pursue the project was made on a political basis with little input from the scientific experts.[6]

After the BP well was capped on July 15, 2010 construction of the berms continued and was still underway in October, 2010. The $360 million project was being financed by BP and being built under the supervision of the Army Corps of Engineers. If completed, and no further funding obtained, following modification of the project by the state, there would be a total of 22 miles of berm. As of October, 2010 opposition to the project was growing and Thomas L. Strickland, assistant interior secretary for fish and wildlife and parks had called for re-evaluation of the project.[7]

On November 1, 2010 it was announced by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and BP that a revised agreement between them provided that $100 million of the remaining $140 million would be used to convert completed berms into artificial barrier islands by widening them and adding vegetation and the remaining funds used to finish up ongoing berm work. A total of 17 million yards of sand had been dredged by November, 2010, 12 million from the Mississippi River; 8.5 million cubic yards had been used to build the berms, the remainder being stockpiled.[8][9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Corps decision on state’s emergency permit request Posted on Thursday, May 27, 2010 by the New Orleans District of the Army Corps of Engineers, accessed July 19, 2010
  2. ↑ Page 13 Document prepared by the Army Corp of Engineers detailing the emergency permit issued May 27, 2010, accessed July 19, 2010
  3. ↑ "Louisiana constructing islands in the gulf to aid in oil cleanup" article by David A. Fahrenthold in The Washington Post July 19, 2010, accessed July 19, 2010
  4. ↑ "Slosh and Berm: Building Sand Barriers off Louisiana's Coast to Hold Back Oil Spill Has Low Probability of Success" David Biello in Scientific American June 8, 2010, accessed July 19, 2010
  5. ↑ BP Oil Spill Sand Berm Cleanup - Oil and Sand Berm Controversy - Popular Mechanics
  6. ↑ "Sand berms partially political" article by Amy Wold in The Advocate (Louisiana) Jul 11, 2010, accessed July 19, 2010
  7. ↑ "Louisiana Builds Barriers Even as Oil Disperses" article by John Collins Rudolf in The New York Times October 21, 2010, accessed October 22, 3010
  8. ↑ The New York Times (November 3, 2010). "Focus Changes for Louisiana in Oil Cleanup". The New York Times. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Seafood safety, tourism and coastal restoration funding announced". BP Louisiana Gulf Response. November 1, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.

External links and further reading

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