Louisiana Plans $340M for Five Coastal Diversions

State coastal agency targets diversion projects while Governor Landry's termination of the Mid-Barataria project reshapes restoration strategy.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Environmental

Flat-color editorial illustration of a marsh channel carrying river sediment through reeds past a concrete diversion gate, in navy, cream and ochre. — Louisiana's coastal agency plans to spend at least $340 million on five river diversion projects after Governor Jeff Landry terminated the $3 billion Mid-Barataria project in July. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should Louisiana keep spending on large-scale coastal restoration projects?

Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority plans to allocate at least $340 million toward five diversion projects. The plan follows Governor Jeff Landry's July 2025 termination of the $3 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.

Why it matters

Louisiana's coastal wetlands continue to erode, and diversions that channel river water and sediment are a central tool for rebuilding marsh in the Barataria Basin. The choice of which projects to fund determines how much land can be restored and at what cost to fisheries.

The state plans at least $340 million for five diversions, while it spent $47 million on three completed diversions since 2007, and the terminated Mid-Barataria project carried a $3 billion price tag. The specific project list and funding schedule for the five diversions have not been detailed.

The players

Jeff Landry

Jeff Landry is the Governor of Louisiana who terminated the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion in July 2025.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the federal agency that constructed the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion in 2002.

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is Louisiana's state agency responsible for planning and funding coastal restoration projects.

The details

The Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2002 near Luling, channels Mississippi River water into the Barataria Basin to combat saltwater intrusion, and wetlands are gaining ground there. Governor Landry terminated the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion in July 2025, citing cost and harm to commercial fishing, while a $1.8 billion Mid-Breton project also faced cancellation.

2002: Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion constructed by the Army Corps.
2007: Louisiana begins a period in which three diversions are completed.
2023: Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion breaks ground.
2024: Maurepas Swamp restoration construction begins.
July 2025: Governor Landry terminates the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.

Big Picture

The Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion, completed by the Army Corps in 2002, showed that channeling Mississippi River water into the Barataria Basin can produce gains in wetlands. The new plan extends that model to five projects while stepping back from the scale of the canceled $3 billion Mid-Barataria diversion.

Coastal residents and fishers in the Barataria area will be affected by which diversions are funded and how much freshwater and sediment reach the basin. The Maurepas Swamp project, expected to rebuild about 45,000 acres and finish late next year, is one near-term change to the landscape.

The takeaway

Louisiana's decision on which diversions to fund will determine how quickly marsh can be rebuilt and how fishing communities are affected. Following the Maurepas Swamp project offers a near-term view of how these efforts perform.