Current:Home > StocksLawsuit seeks to protect dolphins by limiting use of flood-control spillway near New Orleans -TradeWisdom
Lawsuit seeks to protect dolphins by limiting use of flood-control spillway near New Orleans
View
Date:2025-04-16 23:03:45
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Opening a spillway as a flood-control measure in 2019 sent polluted fresh water from the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and killed bottlenose dolphins that live in saltwater, according to a new lawsuit.
Several local governments and business groups on the Mississippi Gulf Coast filed the federal lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The lawsuit argues that the Marine Mammal Protection Act requires federal agencies, including the Corps of Engineers, to obtain a U.S. Department of Commerce permit when their actions may disrupt the behavioral patterns of an animal such as the bottlenose dolphin.
“The massive volumes of polluted fresh water diverted through the Bonnet Carré Spillway and into the Mississippi Sound caused direct and indirect mortality of resident bottlenose dolphins,” the lawsuit says. “Many of the dolphins that did survive developed extremely painful and debilitating skin lesions.”
The lawsuit seeks a court order that would require the Corps of Engineers to comply with any obligation to obtain a permit before any further opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway — something that could slow down use of the flood-control structure.
The Associated Press sent an email Wednesday to the U.S. Department of Justice, which represents the Corps of Engineers, seeking comment on the lawsuit. The department did not immediately respond.
The Bonnet Carré Spillway is upriver from New Orleans. Opening the spillway diverts Mississippi River water to Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne, after which it flows to the Mississippi Sound in the Gulf of Mexico.
It is rarely used. But when the river is high, opening the spillway eases pressure on the levees that protect New Orleans.
However, opening the spillway also carries pollutants and nutrients into the Mississippi Sound and reduces salinity. The result can be damage to oyster, fish and crab habitats, and algae blooms that affect marine life and beaches.
Opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway has caused conflict between leaders in Louisiana, who want to protect the state’s largest city, and those in Mississippi, who want to protect fisheries and other commercial interests that rely on the Gulf of Mexico.
The new lawsuit is similar to one that some of the same coastal Mississippi governments and business groups filed in 2019 against the Corps of Engineers. The earlier lawsuit said the corps was required to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service before opening the spillway.
In January 2023, U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr. of Gulfport, Mississippi, ruled in favor of those who sued. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling in June.
veryGood! (75)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Rachel Lindsay Admitted She and Bryan Abasolo Lived Totally Different Lives Before Breakup News
- Dalvin Cook, Jets part ways. Which NFL team could most use him for its playoff run?
- Series of small explosions, no injuries reported after 1.7-magnitude quake in New York
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Coach-to-player comms, sideline tablets tested in bowl games, but some schools decided to hold off
- Brother of powerful Colombian senator pleads guilty in New York to narcotics smuggling charge
- 'Vanderpump Villa': Watch teaser for Lisa Vanderpump's dramatic new reality TV series
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Man found dead at Salt Lake City airport after climbing inside jet engine
Ranking
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- These jobs saw the biggest pay hikes across the U.S. in 2023
- Stock market today: Asian markets track Wall Street’s decline, eroding last year’s gains
- West Virginia GOP delegate resigns to focus on state auditor race
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Why did some Apple Watch models get banned in the US? The controversy explained
- Purdue still No. 1, but Arizona, Florida Atlantic tumble in USA TODAY men's basketball poll
- Dalvin Cook, Jets part ways. Which NFL team could most use him for its playoff run?
Recommendation
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
Prosecutors recommend six months in prison for a man at the center of a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory
Series of small explosions, no injuries reported after 1.7-magnitude quake in New York
Ex-celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi found competent to stand trial for alleged $15 million client thefts
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Lisa Rinna Bares All (Literally) in Totally Nude New Year's Selfie
23-year-old woman killed after deer smashes through car windshield in Mississippi
To become the 'Maestro,' Bradley Cooper learned to live the music