b'SURFACE WATERTerrebonne Parish: Losing the BarrierIn the 1800s, Terrebonne Parish farmers grazedThe Mississippi River no longer supplies fresh cattle on the rich grass that stretched almost out tosediment to rebuild the island, Kennedy explains. the barrier islands protecting the wetlands from theInstead, the federal government\'s channelization of Gulf of Mexico. Isle Derniers"the last island"was athe river shoots sand and silt far out into the Gulf, 25-mile-long (40 km-long) strip of sand laid by thebypassing the coastal wetlands that were built and Mississippi River and shaped by wind and waves.continually restored by delta deposits. Without new material, erosion gains the upper hand.For years, it was a popular resort, lined with summer homes, hotels and casinos until an 1856 hurricaneAs the passes widen and barriers shrink, waves reach buried the island under five feet (1.5 meters) of water,farther inland, then must rush out more quickly than wrenching the buildings off their foundations andever to cover the growing distance back to the Gulf. tearing the island into pieces. As the water speeds through the inlets, it pulls even more sediment out to sea.That erosion continues today and has picked up speed, says Jason Kennedy of Delta Coast ConsultantsKennedy hopes the Morganza to the Gulf Project98 in Houma, Louisiana. miles of levees, floodgates and a navigation lockwill help manage storm surges not just to protect life "Thirty years ago, you could have thrown a footballand property inland, but also to protect the coastal across Whiskey Pass," he says, referring to one of thewetlands from both fast and slow devastation.breaks in the island. "Now, it\'s almost two miles wide." Isle Derniers was a popular resort lined with summer homes, hotels and casinos until a major hurricane buried the island under 5 feet of water (1.5 m) in 1856. a emsy 02 LEARN MORE: t1oa ot LA\'s Strategic Adaptations for Futurecc pEnvironments: LASAFE.la.gov e uss ea gn nOn Facebook:THIRTY YEARS AGO, d a m g rfacebook.com/livelasafe YOU COULD HAVEain lintainprofiTHROWN A FOOTBALL STORY SURVEY: ACROSS WHISKEY PASS. Tell us how you felt about thisNOW IT\'S ALMOSTstory: YSI.com/MW-Survey TWO MILES WIDE.12 MISSION: WATER'