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Some of Louisiana’s best buffers against the storms that lash its coast annually are the little spits of land in the Gulf of Mexico — they slow down hurricanes and help throttle storm surges. But as sea level rise is eroding these coastal wetlands, new land buffers are being built up through dredging, in order to protect Gulf Coast residences and habitats. Unfortunately, those dredging efforts are falling woefully short. This week on Sea Change Radio, we talk to shoreline expert Megan Milliken Biven to learn all about dredging in the Mississippi Delta. We discuss the inadequate number of boats known as “hopper dredges,” look at the relationship between dredging and the region’s oil and gas industry, and examine what policies could turn things around before the next major hurricane hits the Big Easy.
