"Unfortunately, the Mississippi River is not static, and brings more silt every day, so eventually the storm needed to breach the levees will be much smaller than what would be required today." Excuse me, but what do you think "Mississippi river silt" has to do with breaching levees?? The levees that might be breached are on Lake Ponchartrain---not the Mississippi, and the silt load of the Mississippi is dropped WAY out in the Gulf (which is why the swamplands are eroding---LACK of silt, not too much).
Excuse me, but what do you think "Mississippi river silt" has to do with breaching levees?? The levees that might be breached are on Lake Ponchartrain---not the Mississippi, and the silt load of the Mississippi is dropped WAY out in the Gulf (which is why the swamplands are eroding---LACK of silt, not too much). Tell me...why is the silt being deposited way out into the Gulf? Because the natural distributary process has been subverted! I'm not talking about today...think longer-term and broader.
Secondly, levees could breach in multiple places. Lake Pontchartrain AND the river...but that's not the point. Why is there a levee for Lake P.? Perhaps because of its elevation relative to the the developed areas? Why such a difference? Again, think of long-term policies, not just today.
(And I note that the river elevation is "high," and the lake elevation is the "normal.")