Experts say New Orleans officials need to need to come to terms with what it means to be a coastal city.
Author Archives: Della Hasselle
Della Hasselle, a freelance journalist and producer, reports environmental and criminal justice stories for The Lens. A graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Hasselle lived in New York for 10 years. While up north, she produced and anchored news segments, wrote feature stories and reported breaking news for DNAinfo.com, a hyperlocal news site. Before that, she worked at the New York Daily News. She obtained her master
Posted inAudio, Environment
Audio: Whiskey Island shows the progress and challenges of beach restoration projects
By this summer, the island will be 1,000 acres larger. But the state will have to periodically rebuild it in the coming years.
Posted inEnvironment
Temporary pumping stations at outfall canals to be replaced, ending years of rust-related repairs
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers soon will hand over permanent pumping stations at the mouths of New Orleans’ three primary drainage canals. The temporary pumps, which were beset with corrosion for years, will go offline.
Posted inEnvironment
City council decision paves way for rezoning of port-owned wetlands for industrial use
Opponents say the land should be preserved to guard against flooding in eastern New Orleans.
Posted inEnvironment
Voluntary relocation, construction limits among the options to deal with rising water along Louisiana coast
After a yearlong planning process, state officials are working on a report that will recommend ways for six coastal parishes to deal with rising water and sinking land. The report could shape coastal communities for decades to come. Some of the ideas are controversial, such as limits on residential construction and higher taxes in areas of extreme flooding.
Posted inEnvironment
Coming to a raw oyster bar near you: larger, cleaner, meatier shellfish
Research into genetically enhanced oysters could give oystermen a way to adapt if coastal restoration makes waters near shore inhospitable to the shellfish.
Posted inEnvironment
State pulls back on coastal restoration projects due to shortfall in oil and gas royalties
State officials and U.S Rep. Garret Graves want to know why the projections are half of what they expected.
Posted inEnvironment
Flood protection agency set to take over key pieces of hurricane protection system
The decision means the Sewerage and Water Board won’t be responsible for three key pumping stations during hurricanes.
Posted inEnvironment
Port of New Orleans proposal ignites debate over wetlands inside the levees
The Port of New Orleans wants the city to change the official land use for two properties along the Intracoastal Canal so it can develop them. Environmental groups say the wetlands help prevent flooding and act as backup protection against storm surge. The port says they are practically worthless because they lie behind levees and a storm surge barrier.
Posted inEnvironment
Research on ideal oyster habitat continues debate over possible damage from river diversions
The oyster and fishing industries have opposed the state’s plan to rebuild its coast by directing river water into eroding wetlands. New research could help oystermen adapt if the diversions make waters inhospitable to oysters. Oystermen say the research is solving the wrong problem.