"Dredged Mud Can Save Louisiana Coast, State Says"

"Each year, the Army Corps of Engineers and private companies dredge about 63 million tons of dirt from Louisiana's coastal areas, primarily to service the needs of shipping and petroleum interests.

The corps constantly dredges the river to ensure ships can pass, and oil and gas companies cut and maintain canals to service their facilities and lay pipelines through Louisiana's fragile wetlands.


All of the extracted mud, if strategically dumped back into areas of threatened coastline, could do wonders to revive the state's dying marshes -- once its primary defense against hurricanes. "

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune June 13, 2009.