Title VII of the Water Resources Development Act: Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration
Semester
The focus of Tanya Heikkila's Workshop this summer is to examine Title VII of the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007. This act calls for the restoration of the Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem, namely wetlands, swamps and marshes, with the aim of protecting the local populations from the threat of storm surge and land loss, as well as modifying the existing flood control structures and channels. These human-made altercations to the landscape have severely affected the coastal hydrology and deltaic cycle in the region, leaving the population dangerously exposed to storms. By restoring the ecosystem to a more natural state the group hopes to ultimately protect and preserve a unique and vital economic region. The group's work has been to examine the Title VII legislation, identify the problem outlined in the legislation and discover and clearly convey the science behind the problem.