Lousiana Diversion Plan A Techno-Bust - AP

NEW ORLEANS - "One year after it opened with fanfare as the "world's largest freshwater diversion," Davis Pond has only intermittently been turned on to beat back salt water intrusion into Louisiana's dying coast.

Since August last year, the $119.6 million structure has operated for about three months at much lower rates than it is capable of. 'We thought we'd be sitting back right now and have a project that was behaving like it was supposed to,' said Jack Fredine, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Davis Pond project manager. 'It's been frustrating for the last seven to eight months.'

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But shortly after the first diversions, officials realized the ponding area was not draining properly because the rock shoreline was blocked by floating marsh that had risen up with the river water and acted like a dam, Fredine said. Floating, or flotant marsh, as its name suggests, floats on top of water. Engineers were unaware that the area in front of the rock shoreline was flotant marsh, despite having done surveys and taken samples.

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Diverting water is estimated to preserve about one square mile a year over the next 50 years, and create bountiful fishing and recreational grounds worth millions of dollars. Even if Davis Pond functioned as it should, the Barataria Basin is expected to lose 11 square miles a year for the foreseeable future."

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Yahoo News

I know that happened with the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Development.

:hi: