New Report Shows Louisiana Is Sinking

Just in case you woke up without anything to worry about, you can now add, my state is sinking, to your cares and concerns. However, I wouldn't put the sinking of the state very high on my to-do list though.

According to a report based on figures collected 29 years ago the state of Louisiana has sunk almost six inches. Back in 1989, the U.S. Geodetic Survey measured the state's elevation at a point in New Orleans. Just recently those numbers were compared to information gleaned by researchers at the LSU Center for Geoinformatics.

The results suggest that Louisiana has sunk 147 millimeters in the past 29 years. That translates to a drop of almost six inches over that time period. Researchers estimate the annual sinkage,(is that a word?), to be about 5 millimeters or about a quarter of an inch every year.

According to the researchers the areas around Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Hammond, and Shreveport didn't sink at all. Some changes were noted in the elevations of Lake Charles, Alexandria, and Ruston though.

What does this information mean to you? Probably not a lot but it's the kind of information road builders, bridge builders, and construction engineers need to know for future projects and to help maintain the infrastructure that is already in place.

It might also explain why I am no longer able to dunk a basketball. At least that's the story I am going with whether you choose to believe me or not.