Drain Lake to Protect New Orleans

AAEA is the first group to call for draining Lake Pontchartrain to protect New Orleans. It should only be drained during the hurricane season. The lake, estuary and wetlands can remain the same during the rest of the year. This will also accelerate rebuilding the 9th Ward and other Eastern sections of New Orleans that are being targeted last for redevelopment. It will justify rebuilding by protecting that section of the city from storm surge flooding by the lake during hurricane season.

Fortifying the levees will still be needed to protect the city if the commercial and industrial channels are maintained in their current configuration. Of course,maybe these channels should be eliminated and tens of billions of dollars would not have to be spent to rebuild and reenforce them. (Hurricane Katrina)