As the fast-flowing river water carries sediment into the Neptune Pass channel, the water slows down just enough to drop silt, sand and clay in the bay. Lambert aimed his boat across the Mississippi to the river’s east bank and entered Neptune Pass, the channel that has rapidly expanded since the Mississippi River floods in 2019. New research shows that Neptune Pass is building new land with material from the Mississippi River. But as the Mississippi River loses water to Neptune Pass, the river becomes shallower, creating shipping hazards. Now, the Army Corps has proposed reducing the flow into Neptune Pass to eliminate navigational hazards for ships along the Mississippi River.