Army Corps of Engineers MRGO at Bayou Beinvenue, east of New Orleans

The public again has longer to comment on Army Corps of Engineers plans for correcting the damage the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet caused to the ecosystem.

The Corps says it now will accept the public's comments on the plan through March 5. It's the second time it has extended the deadline.

The restoration plan has become a contentious topic in St. Bernard Parish because the Corps wants to build a new freshwater diversion channel across the parish. The Corps is developing a plan to restore wetlands damaged by the MRGO.

The 1960s-era shipping channel has been blamed for destroying cypress forests and wetlands and contributing to flooding New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.