Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Mid-Barataria Engineering Modeling Support
Ongoing
The Challenge
In 2015, The Water Institute of the Gulf developed a basin-wide model for the Louisiana Coastal Area, which was applied to study various scenarios with and without Mid-Barataria/Breton diversions for up to 50 years into the future. While the basin-wide model provides insights on large-scale land building, vegetation, and nutrient dynamics with given diverted water and sediment flux, it is not intended to address engineering aspects of the diversions and outfall management.
The Approach
To address these issues, higher-resolution models focusing on specific outfall regions are needed to capture relevant physical processes of the outfall channels and their interaction with the receiving basins. The main questions being addressed with this work is will the diversion channel be self-sustaining or will dredging be necessary; what are the major hydrological and morphological changes in the receiving basins near the diversion, and what are the adequate dimensions of the outfall channel to convey the desired amount of water.
KEY TEAM MEMBERS
