VOA慢速英语--路易斯安那州希望通过复制自然来对抗沿海的破坏

Louisiana Hopes to Fight Coastal¹ Destruction By Copying Nature

Back when the Mississippi River flowed wild, its ever-changing waters moved soil across the North American continent. It picked up sand and dirt in the north and brought it to the southern areas of what we now call the state of Louisiana.

Thousands of years later, man-made barriers called levees and flood-control systems contain the powerful river. But Louisiana officials are making plans to use the Mississippi’s ancient power to build new land as a way to ease the threat of rising seas.

Engineers hope to remake eroded², low-lying lands by cutting into the levees and redirecting the water. The water holds a lot of small dirt particles, or sediment³. The sediments⁴ can flow into coastal basins. When the sediment particles settle out of the water, they will slowly gather into soil.

Bren Haase leads the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. He told the Associated Press the main problem in coastal Louisiana is a lack of sediment.

“So we’re trying to mimic⁵ the way Mother Nature would have delivered that sediment to our coast in the past,” Haase said.

Some critics question whether the idea presents its own environmental risks. But if it does work, the project would rebuild an important protection against storm surges⁶. It would also help provide new living areas for birds and fish that depend on wetlands.

Saltwater is destroying the coast. Pathways cut for oil and gas development, boat travel and logging have worsened the problem. The state estimates that it has lost about 518,000 hectares of land since 1932. If nothing is done, more than twice that much land could disappear over the next 50 years.

Experts and officials have discussed the idea of using the river to rebuild the coast for many years. But it was not until money became available from the 2010 BP oil spill that plans began to really take shape.

In 2010, an explosion killed 11 people on an oil rig⁷ off the Gulf⁸ Coast that energy company BP operated. Millions of gallons of oil then flowed into the water over the next three months.

One year later, the United States government ruled that BP and two other companies were responsible for the accident. The companies were ordered to pay billions of dollars for the damage. Louisiana is putting much of its share of the money toward coastal restoration.

The state is spending about $2 billion on two projects called Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton. They are named for the bodies of water in which they will be placed.

As the redirected river water flows out of the coastal areas, the sediment settles out and begins collecting. It first gathers under the water and, over time, above the surface. One day, plant life such as marsh⁹ grass or willow¹⁰ trees can take root.

The earliest start to the project would be in 2021 or 2022.

Not everyone is eager about the efforts.

Robert Campo’s family has been in the fishing industry since 1903. He is from the small town of Shell Beach, which sits along the Mississippi River. He and others worry that the redirection will flood their fishing areas. This would destroy an industry that is very important to the state’s economy and culture.

“We all want coastal restoration. Trust me. … I think we need to rebuild this whole coast. But there’s other ways of doing it,” Campo said.

Redirection opponents point to recent flooding-fighting efforts on the Mississippi.

Fed by rain and melting snows in the Midwest, the Mississippi ran unusually high for months earlier this year. The Army Corps¹¹ of Engineers twice opened the Bonnet¹² Carre Spillway. This protects New Orleans’ levees by directing huge amounts of river water normally into Lake Pontchartrain.

The sudden release of freshwater into saltwater environments killed wildlife and damaged people’s ability to earn a living.

I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

continent – n. one of the great divisions of land, such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica of the Earth

eroded – adj. slowly destroyed by natural forces such as water, wind, or ice

basin(s) – n. the area of land around a large river and the small rivers that flow into it

mimic – v. to create the appearance or effect of something

deliver(ed) – v. to take something to a person or place

surge(s) – n. a large wave of water

logging – n. the business of cutting down trees in an area for wood

oil rig – n. a structure above an oil well on land or in the sea that has special equipment attached to it for drilling and removing oil from the ground

restoration – n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing or cleaning it

1 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

2 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

3 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

4 sediments   

沉淀物( sediment的名词复数 )； 沉积物

参考例句：

• When deposited, 70-80% of the volume of muddy sediments may be water. 泥质沉积物沉积后，体积的70-80％是水。
• Oligocene erosion had truncated the sediments draped over the dome. 覆盖于穹丘上的沉积岩为渐新世侵蚀所截削。

5 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

6 surges   

n.奔涌向前( surge的名词复数 )；（数量的）急剧上升；（感情等）洋溢；浪涛般汹涌奔腾v.（波涛等）汹涌( surge的第三人称单数 )；（人群等）蜂拥而出；使强烈地感到

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping. 黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The raging tide of revolution surges forward. 革命怒潮汹涌澎湃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 rig   

n.装备，帆具，服装；v. 装配，装扮，垄断

参考例句：

• They rig their domestic markets in favour of local businesses.他们操纵国内市场以使当地企业受益。
• Our camping rig includes cooking pots and sleeping bags.我们的野营装备包括锅子和睡袋。

8 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

9 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

10 willow   

n.柳树

参考例句：

• The river was sparsely lined with willow trees.河边疏疏落落有几棵柳树。
• The willow's shadow falls on the lake.垂柳的影子倒映在湖面上。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 bonnet   

n.无边女帽；童帽

参考例句：

• The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。
• She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。