CPRA celebrates completion of Paradis Canal Gate

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and St. Charles Parish leaders have celebrated the completion of construction on the Paradis Canal Gate, a major component of the Parish’s West Bank Hurricane Protection Levee project.

The gate will help to provide flood protection to residents in the Magnolia Ridge watershed and prevent storm surges coming from Lake Salvador.

“I want to thank Governor Edwards and CPRA for their commitment to seeing this project through. Without their support, we would not be celebrating this accomplishment today,” said Parish President Matt Jewell.

The completed project will offer protection to St. Charles Parish residents outside of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hurricane Storm Damage Risk Reduction System.

This project was the first to be completed using funds awarded through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s (CPRA) Parish Matching Opportunities Program, which uses post-BP Spill Impact Component funds received through the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act to assist parishes with eligible projects.

“This vital project is exactly what we envisioned when we put out the call for applicants to the Parish Matching Opportunities Program,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline. “Combining our state and local resources to fund projects like this one will allow us to continue to move toward the goals laid out in the Coastal Master Plan and expedite projects that offer crucial flood protection to all Louisianans living along our coast.”

The total project cost of $5 million was covered by CPRA contributions from the RESTORE Spill Impact funds and matched funds from St. Charles Parish through the RESTORE ACT, Delta Regional Authority – States Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP) and the Parish’s Flood Protection fund.

A competitively-bid contract for the Paradis Canal Gate project was awarded to Sealevel Construction Inc., a heavy civil construction company located in Thibodaux, La.