Louisiana State University oceanographer/wetlands scientist Eugene Turner believes he has a solution to a key cause of coastal wetland loss in Louisiana: Put the dirt piled on the banks of canals into the streams that will lead to plugging abandoned oil and gas (O&G) sites and let nature take its course in restoring the wetlands. It’ll be difficult because of the politically charged issues of Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts, he told NOLA.com. He’s trying to find ways of convincing the O&G industry to refill their canals and/or convincing the state to repurpose scarce restoration dollars away from building projects. O&G coastal interests are in federal/state courts that are aimed at getting them to restore damage to wetlands and canals. The state has been mostly unsuccessful in getting O&G to the table to address issues raised by the suits. Some O&G firms have taken steps to fill some of their old canals, but no overall agreement by industry and state officials to embark on a back-filling program. Turner is suggesting baby steps – fill in at first 10 or 3,000 of the state’s 27,500 canals that are officially abandoned – as an initial test of his idea. The LSU “prof” laid out the argument in a peer-reviewed research paper he co-authored with University of Central Florida coastal ecologist Giovanna McClenachan. The paper is entitled: “Reversing wetland death from 35,000 cuts: Opportunities to restore Louisiana’s dredged canals.” The duo report that these canals are the cause of as much as 95 percent of the state’s coastal wetlands lost over 100 years. But that’s a greater percentage than other studies have suggested. (Source: NOLA.com 12/20/18)
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