Four critical coastal restoration projects advance in Louisiana

St. Bernard Parish Government has just announced that four largescale coastal restoration projects have advanced in the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) funding process.

The CWPPRA Technical Committee voted Bayou Ducros Marsh Creation (Pontchartrain Basin), Biloxi Marsh Shoreline Protection (Pontchartrain Basin), Bayou Terre Aux Boeufs Ridge Restoration and Marsh Creation (Breton Basin), and South Delacroix Marsh Creation and Terracing (Breton Basin) as top ten projects statewide.

The sponsoring federal agencies will begin preparing the projects for the final CWPPRA Technical Committee vote in December 2023.

“St. Bernard Parish Government actively promotes CWPPRA projects that benefit our parish, including those projects located in neighboring parishes. This has been an exceptional year for CWPPRA thus far, with four of the top ten projects statewide either located in St. Bernard Parish or otherwise directly benefitting our parish,” said parish president Guy McInnis.

• The Bayou Ducros Marsh Creation project would create or nourish over 370 acres of marsh near the Golden Triangle through sediment pipeline delivery from the Mississippi River. The total estimated construction cost ranges from $15-$20 million.
• The Biloxi Marsh Shoreline Protection project would protect approximately 12,900 feet of critical shoreline and protect over 110 acres of highly productive saline marsh habitat. The total estimated construction cost ranges from $15-$20 million.
• The Bayou Terre aux Boeufs Ridge Restoration and Marsh Creation project would create approximately 27,000 linear feet of ridge along the bayou, and create or nourish over 380 acres of emergent marsh. The total estimated construction cost ranges from $25-$30 million.
• The South Delacroix Marsh Creation and Terracing project would create and nourish over 400 acres of tidal emergent marsh and 18,000 linear feet of terraces. The total estimated construction cost ranges from $30-$35 million.