Engineers are working to help reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana's sediment-starved wetlands in an effort to rebuild some of the land that is disappearing at a rate of almost 11,000 acres a year - or roughly a football field an hour. The diversions will be major civil works projects without compare. The work will require careful scheduling to maintain flood protection as the Mississippi River levee comes down and a diversion gate is put in its place. And that will be the easy part. The projects must be operated to divert the most river sediment and the least amount of water to minimize the impact on the people and wildlife in Barataria Bay. Too much river water could flood communities and kill fisheries.