CPRA presents Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Plan draft version

Infrastructure

February 18, 2021, by Eldin Ganic

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has released a draft version of the agency’s annual spending plan for Fiscal Year 2022, which runs from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

The Integrated Ecosystem Restoration & Hurricane Protection in Coastal Louisiana: Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Plan anticipates investing $887 million in Louisiana’s coast with 71% of that amount going directly to constructing projects.

“In spite of the many challenges we’ve all faced over the past year, CPRA pressed on and remained steadfast in our commitment to advance projects and fortify our working coast,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline.

“Projects kept moving forward and we are able to deliver an annual plan for FY 22 where we anticipate having five massive projects under construction at once. As our coastal program moves forward, we will continue to see these highly-anticipated projects come to life.”

Key takeaways from the Draft Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Plan include:

90% of total expenditures will go toward project implementation and maintenance;
110 active projects: 66 in construction totaling $633 million; 37 in engineering and design totaling $97.7 million; $10.4 million for seven projects in planning;
9 active projects in Southwest Louisiana, 35 in South Central Louisiana, and 66 in Southeast Louisiana;
19 dredging projects are slated for construction, using more than 92.4 million cubic yards of dredged material to create or nourish nearly 15,000 acres of coastal wetlands.

Some of the major projects advancing in FY 2022 are:

Barataria Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation – Spanish Pass Increment – Dredging 16 million cubic yards of material from the Mississippi River to build 1,670 acres of marsh and ridge, the largest marsh creation project built in the Barataria Basin by both acres built and volume dredged;

Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment – Using approximately nine million cubic yards of sand dredged from the Gulf of Mexico to create and restore more than 1,000 acres of beach, dune, and marsh habitat on portions of Trinity-East Island, Timbalier Island, and the West Belle Pass Headland on the southern perimeter of the Terrebonne Basin.

The draft spending plan will be presented to the public via virtual public hearings on the following dates: