Mississippi River Diversion Hurt Bottlenose Dolphins, Groups Say

Local governments, fishermen, and businesses in Mississippi on Monday say they were harmed when the Army Corps of Engineers opened a control structure in 2019 to divert river water.

The Corps opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway, which allegedly released polluted Mississippi River water through the Lake Pontchartrain Basin into the Mississippi Sound—"wreaking havoc on the natural resources, communities, and businesses,” the groups said.

The move disrupted salinity levels and temperatures as well as adding nitrates and phosphorus compounds, the groups told the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. This combination caused toxic blue green algae to bloom, ...