To save a dying swamp, Louisiana aims to restore the Mississippi River’s natural flow

Associated Press/Report for America

GARYVILLE, La. (AP) — State and federal authorities in Louisiana celebrated breaking ground on an ambitious $330 million conservation project intended to revitalize one of the state’s largest swamp ecosystems by reconnecting it with the Mississippi River. The 176 square mile Maurepas Swamp, a state wildlife refuge, holds Louisiana’s second largest contiguous forest filled with water tupelo and bald cypress trees. Deprived of nutrients from the levee system along the Mississippi River, the swamp’s iconic trees are dying in stagnant water. By diverting river water into the swamp, the project aims to bolster an ailing ecosystem and strengthen natural hurricane defense.