Officials from Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority were invited by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Gulf Coast Business Council to speak on Wednesday. They took a defensive stance about sediment diversions that they hope will help rebuild the state’s rapidly disappearing marshes. The CPRA is a state agency that works to rebuild coastal land, which has been affected by erosion and rising sea level rises. It proposes two divertions on the Mississippi River for sediment capture and diversion as part of its $50 million “Master Plan”. Wednesday’s meeting was focused on the latter. Chip Kline, an assistant to the Louisiana Governor, stated that “Ladies, gentlemen, especially those of you who are on boards of county supervisions, you have been incredibly misleading.” John Bel Edwards, CPRA’s Chairman, at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulfpark Campus in Long Beach. Kline was referring specifically to the resolutions that were passed by all three Mississippi coast counties and several coastal cities asking state leaders to oppose the proposed Mid-Breton Diversion. These resolutions state that Mississippi should send more river water towards the Mississippi to exacerbate the spillway openings this year. Kline stated, “These stories and myths that you have heard suggest that our projects or initiatives will destroy your coast, fisheries, livelihoods, and today, I’m grateful we have the chance to present the scientific details why this is completely false.” “We value our coast and are fighting to save it.” CPRA representatives stressed that the Mid-Breton Diversion was still in its “infancy” and that they are in the process of drafting an Environmental Impact Statement. As experts answered questions, many audience members raised concerns about whether the water diverted would reach the Mississippi Sound. One man was even escorted by security because he shouted during a response. Bren Hasse (deputy executive director of CPRA) stated that it seemed unlikely. “Impacts to the Mississippi Sound will also be evaluated during (the scoping process).” Moby Solangi was also on the panel. He is the executive director of Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport. Solangi pointed out that what happens in the Breton Sound has a direct impact on Mississippi’s waterways. He said, “Really, this is one ecosystem.” An anecdote about turtles that his institute had released and followed near Gulfport was used to illustrate the point. In just three days, the turtles reached the Breton Sound. “I believe what happens in Mississippi Sound Sound, Chandeleur Sound, and in Breton Sound are connected,” Kline stated. The Mid-Breton Diversion is designed to capture sediment. The spillway is constructed around the river’s volume. Operation of the diversion would be timed to capture maximum sediment. Kline stated that all of this was overshadowed in recent headlines and misinformation distributed through your communities, mainly by two individuals from Louisiana who have a specific agenda. He confirmed that Dennis Lambert was one of those individuals. Dennis Lambert is a New Orleans-based civil engineering who conducted an independent technical review on the Mid-Breton Diversion in 2015 for COWI, a Danish company. Lambert, who was present, said that the river water from the diversions would cause the same destruction as the Bonnet Carre. He said, “It’s not logic to flood the estuaries in river water full with nutrients.” “How will the river water behave differently in the Breton Sound to the river water in other systems?” It’s all interconnected.” Kline hopes for further discussions with Mississippi stakeholders regarding the diversions. Kline stated that she didn’t feel the warmth and fuzzy feelings from Mississippians at the reception. “I hope the audience learned a lot and I hope they listened. “But I believe we still have a lot to do to win the trust of the people in Coastal Mississippi. That’s something I am committed to.”_x000D