Scientists have come up with a new idea for protecting Louisiana’s coastal marshlands from encroaching oil — release more water into the Mississippi River.

Water flowing from the mouth of the river creates a current that has been helping to keep the oil away from the coast. But as the seasons change, the current will slow and its effect on the oil will diminish. Scientists propose releasing more water from dams upstream to maintain the protective current, keep water flowing through the marshlands at the mouth of the river, and provide a natural flushing of polluted areas.

It will never work. It’s far too simple and logical. Besides, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the idea and you know how that goes. By the time they make a decision, the damage will have been done, the well will be capped, and the upper Mississippi will be locked in winter again.