[StBernard] Coastal restoration effort moves into higher gear

[Westley Annis]

Coastal restoration effort moves into higher gear
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune 
January 20, 2010, 8:50PM

The area where Lake Pontchartrain meets the Labranche wetlands was
photographed in March 2006.Embarking on its 20th year of building small to
moderate-sized coastal restoration projects, the Breaux Act Task Force on
Wednesday added four new projects to its list of 144 active projects and
moved five more from design into construction.

The decisions will result in more than $115 million being spent on the nine
projects, some of which could see construction begin within a few months.

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act is known as
the Breaux Act for its lead author, former U.S. Sen. John Breaux. It has
served as the incubator for the federal-state planning effort to restore
Louisiana's wetlands, for new strategies and technologies to rebuild
wetlands and barrier shorelines, and for major coastal restoration and
freshwater and sediment diversion projects that will be built under other
programs that will have much larger appropriations.


.West Bay diversion project on Mississippi River to end. 

The task force includes voting representatives from the federal departments
of Interior, Agriculture, Commerce and Defense, and a nonvoting Louisiana
representative. 

The program will have received just over $1 billion in federal money and
$178.4 million in state matching money through fiscal year 2010, and is
expected to receive another $1 billion in federal dollars and $170 million
from the state by 2020, when it is scheduled to expire. The program has
spent $551.6 million on projects, and including those approved Wednesday,
has set aside $275 million for projects waiting to be built.

The task force reserved $10.7 million for initial planning and design for
the four new projects approved Wednesday: 



.LaBranche East Marsh Creation: Material dredged from Lake Pontchartrain
will create 729 acres of marsh and strengthen 202 acres of existing marsh
between the lake and Interstate 10 in St. Charles Parish, east of an earlier
wetland creation project. The project is estimated to cost $32 million.
.Cheniere Ronquille Barrier Island Restoration: Beach and dunes will be
recreated between Pass Ronquille and Pass Chaland in southernmost
Plaquemines Parish, using sand dredged from the Gulf of Mexico, at a cost of
$44 million.
.Lost Lake Marsh Creation and Hydrologic Restoration: Wetlands will be
restored between Lake Pagie and Bayou Decade in Terrebonne Parish with
material dredged from nearby Lost Lake. The project will create 465 acres of
marsh and 26 acres of wetland terraces to reduce wave and tidal action, at a
cost of $23 million.
.Freshwater Bayou Marsh Creation: Some 401 acres of marsh that were damaged
or turned to open water by Hurricanes Rita, Gustav and Ike will be rebuilt
or strengthened near the Vermilion Parish coastline, using dredge material,
at a completed cost of $25.5 million. 



 


Once design and engineering work is done, each project must be reapproved
for the remaining construction costs. 

That's the status of five more projects given the go-ahead to move to
construction on Wednesday, with the task force's approval of more than $105
million in construction money: 


.Barataria Basin Landbridge, Phase 3: Will provide shoreline protection
along the west bank of Bayou Perot and north shoreline of Little Lake in
Lafourche Parish, and along the east bank of Bayou Perot and east and west
banks of the Harvey Cutoff in Jefferson Parish, at a cost of $20.5 million.
.West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration: Beach dune and back barrier
marsh will be rebuilt on the western end of the Chenier Caminada headland,
adjacent to Timbalier Bay in Lafourche Parish, for $42.3 million.
.Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction and Vegetative Plantings: The
taskforce approved only the planting part of this project, which will spend
$1.1 million to rebuild wetlands in Calcasieu Parish. 
.South Grand Chenier Hydrologic Restoration: This project between Louisiana
85 and Hog Bayou in Cameron Parish is designed to reverse wetland loss
caused by failed agricultural projects and saltwater intrusion from the
Mermentau Ship Channel, at a cost of $29 million.
.The task force also approved $13 million to restore the banks of the Gulf
Intracoastal Waterway in Terrebonne Parish, after being assured that it
could "borrow" money from projects awaiting construction and repay it when
the program's fiscal year 2011 appropriation arrives.