COASTAL WETLANDS PLANNING, PROTECTION AND RESTORATION ACT

PROJECT STATUS REPORT as of 31-Oct-2024

East Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration

PROJECT DATA

Point of Contact:

DEPT. OF THE INTERIOR
FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

COASTAL WETLANDS PLANNING, PROTECTION AND RESTORATION ACT

PROJECT STATUS REPORT as of 31-Oct-2024

East Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration

PROJECT LOCATION:

The project is located in Cameron Parish in the western portion of Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent land. It is bounded by Black Bayou to the north, East Fork of Black Bayou and Burton-Sutton Canal to the east, the Starks South Canal to the south and the eastern shoreline of Sabine Lake to the west.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Marsh conversion to shallow open water has occurred in the western portion of the Sabine NWR project area due to higher salinity events caused by large navigation channels (i.e., Sabine-Neches Waterway, GIWW). The project goals are to: 1) Reduce excessive elevated salinities within fresh and intermediate marshes and encourage submerged aquatic vegetation development; 2) restore altered hydrology and reduce excessive tidal flow to represent a more historic water flow, 3) reduce Sabine Lake shoreline erosion at Willow Bayou, and 4) Reduce the turbidity of open water areas, provide more marsh edge, and restore and protect marsh through vegetated earthen terraces. The project includes the following components: 1) Install a 40-foot wide rock weir in Pines Ridge Bayou, 2) Install three 24-inch-diameter culverts with sluice gates at Bridge Bayou and Grey's Ditch; 3) Install 3,000 linear feet of segmented rock breakwaters with gaps at the Sabine Lake shoreline north of Willow Bayou; 4) Install a rock weir at the opening near the SE Section 16 and Starks South Canal, 5) and install approximately 221,000 feet (42 miles) of vegetated earthen terraces in large shallow open water areas in and south of Greens Lake. Proposed fixed crest weirs with boat bays originally planned for Right Prong of Black, Green's, Three, and Willow Bayous were eliminated from the project plans because hydrodynamic modeling results predicted the structures would have very little effects in reducing project area salinities.

PROJECT STATUS: (Project Status Last Updated: 20-May-2016 )

A joint FWS- NRCS-DNR cost-share agreement was completed on July 17, 2001. FTN completed hydrodynamic modeling for the proposed water control structures at Right Prong, Greens, Three and Willow Bayous. The "East Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration Hydrodynamic Modeling Study Phase II: Calibration and Verification Report," "Historical Data Review Modeling Phase III Data and Final Report," and the "Phase III Determination of Boundary Conditions for Evaluating Project Alternatives" were completed October 5, 2004. With-project model runs that included modeling of fixed crest weirs with boat bays (10 feet wide by 4 feet deep) at Willow, Three, Greens and Right Prong Black Bayous were completed. Hydrodynamic modeling results predicted that the proposed structures would have very little effect in reducing project area salinities. Therefore Phase 2 of the project that involved structures on the above bayous were removed from the project. The first portion of Construction Unit 1 was completed in October 2006. The following project features were constructed: 1) Pines Ridge Bayou weir, 2) Bridge Bayou culverts, 3) 171,000 linear feet of earthen terraces in the Greens Lake area, 4) 3,000 linear feet of rock breakwater, with 50-foot wide gaps, at the eastern Sabine Lake shoreline beginning at Willow Bayou, and, 5) a rock weir in SE Section 16. Project The proposed 11 miles (58,100 linear feet) of planned Sabine Lake shoreline plantings were removed and more earthen terraces were added using vegetative planting funds because of an unsuccessful 7,500 linear foot test planting along the Sabine Lake shoreline conducted by the State Soil and Water Conservation District and the NRCS. The CWPPRA Task Force approved adding 50,000 linear feet of terraces, constructing 4, 50-foot-wide gaps in the rock breakwater, and deleting Construction Unit 2 components in October 2006 based on hydrodynamic modeling results. The Pines Bayou weir was rehabilitated in August 2007 due to heavy damage caused by Hurricane Rita. Four 50-foot wide gaps were also installed in August 2007, in the 3,000 foot-long rock breakwater near Willow Bayou. 50,000 linear feet of additional earthen terraces were constructed in January 2008. The Cameron Parish Drainage District No. 7 replaced the Section 16 rock weir in 2015. The project will be in it's current operation and maintenance phase until the end of its 20-year life in 2029.

FUND STATUS:

The current project estimate is $6,040,414 , which includes $4,549,196 for construction first costs, and $240,049 and $1,251,169 for 20 years of monitoring and operations and maintenance, respectively.