(2) creation of subdeltas along the lower Mississippi River through controlled 

 freshwater diversion into adjacent shallow bays. 



A multi-use monagennent plan for south-central Louisiana was subsequently 

 developed (Gagliano et al. 1973a). This plan recommended certain developmental 

 controls, management and maintenance of barrier islands, erosion control, and surface 

 water management of existing runoff surpluses and controlled subdelta building with 

 diverted Mississippi River water and sediments. 



Despite the virtually universal recognition of the seriousness of the wetland 

 deterioration problem in the LCR and the existence of plans to address that problem, no 

 major federally financed measures have been implemented. Two ongoing Federal water 

 resource studies being conducted under the leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of 

 Engineers offer considerable promise, however, for large-scale supplemental freshwater 

 introduction into the subdelta marshes of the LCR. These include the Louisiana Coastal 

 Area Study and Mississippi and Louisiana Estuarine Areas Study. With regard to the 

 latter study, preliminary estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicate that 

 between $4.4 and $5.2 million in annual benefits to fish and wildlife can be realized with 

 a single large-scale diversion into the Lake Pontchartrain-Lake Borgne area of southeast 

 Louisiana (Fruge and Ruelle 1980). 



In 1979, the Louisiana Legislature enacted legislation directing the Secretary of the 

 Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development to prepare a freshwater 

 diversion plan for Louisiana. Components of that plan are being formulated and are 

 expected to complement any freshwater introduction measures implemented by Federal 

 agencies. More recently, Louisiana Governor Dave Treen signed legislation providing $35 

 million for studies and projects to address coastal erosion problems. The funding will be 

 obtained from the newly designated Coastal Environmental Protection Trust Fund. It is 

 anticipated that a portion of these funds will be expended on marsh restoration measures 

 such as freshwater diversion projects. 



It is clear that the important fish and wildlife resources of the LCR are threatened 

 by rapid, continued degradation of its wetland habitat through land loss and saltwater 

 intrusion. This problem is widely recognized by natural resource managers, scientists, 

 and the public at large, and positive measures have been proposed to address it. 

 Definitive action must be taken, however, to implement these measures at the earliest 

 possible date. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Bellrose, F.C. 1976. Ducks, geese and swans of North America. A Wildlife Management 

 Institute book sponsored jointly with Illinois Natural History Survey. Stackpole Books, 

 Harrisburg, Pa. 



Ccvlt, M.H. 1979. Dependence of menhaden catch on wetland habitats: a statistical 

 analysis. Unpublished report submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological 

 Services Field Office, Lafayette, La. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of 

 Biological Services, National Coastal Ecosystems Team, NSTL Station, Miss. 12 pp. 



104 



