The east breach site of the London Avenue Canal. Photo/Andy Levin
Recently, Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal and lead researcher H.J. Bosworth’s co-written letter was featured in The Advocate. Below is the original slightly longer version that was submitted.
“We closely observed the media reporting by the New Orleans District USACE after its levees broke during Hurricane Katrina. So we’re not surprised to learn from reporter Tristan Baurick that the corps personnel knew for decades of the potential for salt water intrusion as a result of dredging the Mississippi River.
“Apparently, now in 2023, there was little infrastructure or plans firmly in place to handle the predicted intrusion. This means that the underwater dam (or sill) must have been constructed at huge expense, along with the miles of temporary flexible pipelines. Emergency construction is always more expensive.
“We are suspicious of the corps’ putting the focus on the lack of rain as the culprit in the salt water intrusion crisis.
