Task Force Launches Two Studies of Large-Scale Project

While the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act's initial efforts began with small, local-impact projects, task force planners have always recognized the need for restoration on a coastwide level. CWPPRA's long-term plan calls for large, aggressive efforts that will affect the entire coastal basin from the Texas line to the Mississippi border. The two projects discussed below are prime examples of the options presently under consideration.

Barrier Island Study

Working with CWPPRA funding, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources is taking the lead on a study that will measure the significance of Louisiana's barrier formations in protecting coastal wetlands. When completed, the $3 million study will determine the effectiveness of barrier islands in protecting mainland marshes and evaluate the feasibility of constructing barrier shoreline measures to further protect the marshes.

The study will ascertain how the barrier shorelines of Louisiana protect interior marshes and coastal communities from salt water and erosive tidal influences from the Gulf of Mexico. Barrier islands separate the Barrataria, Terrebonne and St. Bernard estuaries from the Gulf, while in the western part of the state, chenier formations form a barrier between the Gulf and interior marshes.

Currently, the barrier islands are experiencing narrowing and area loss due to a lack of sediment; wave and storm action; and man-made influences. Coastal cheniers such as Cheniere au Tigre and Constance Beach are also degrading.

The purpose of the barrier island study is to assess and quantify wetland loss caused by the decreasing protection of barrier formations along the Louisiana coast. Ultimately, the study will suggest a barrier configuration that will minimize the effects of saltwater intrusion, storm surges, wind/wave activity and oil spills on Louisiana's coastal resources. These resources include not only wetlands but also oil and gas production and exploration facilities, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, pipelines, navigable waterways and fragile estuarine and island habitats.

The study encompasses the barrier shoreline formations between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, the chenier plain barrier formations in Vermilion and Cameron parishes, and the Chandeleur Islands.

An environmental impact statement (EIS) will be completed during the first year of the feasibility study. Because of the possible use of Ship Shoal sad in rebuilding the islands, the Minerals Management Service, the agency which manages minerals on federal property, will be responsible for the EIS with assistance from other CWPPRA agencies and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.

Public participation and input are critical to this project.

Please send any information or comments to:

Karl DeRouen Jr.
Barrier Shoreline Feasibility Study, Study Manager
Office of Coastal Restoration and Management
LA-DNR, P.O. Box 44487
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4487

Mississippi River Diversion Study

Use of Mississippi River sediments, nutrients and fresh water for coastal restoration is the focus of another study initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' New Orleans District. The study is being directed by the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force.

Historically, the wetlands of coastal Louisiana thrived on the Mississippi River's life-giving resources. At the present time almost 70 percent of these resources are lost because the river's discharge is confined and directed into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This confinement and other important factors, such as erosion, subsidence and the intrusion of salt water, are causing coastal Louisiana to lose wetlands at the alarming rate of nearly 25 square miles per year.

The purpose of the new study is to determine the feasibility of implementing large-scale measures to reinstate the land-building and wetland-maintenance functions of the Lower Mississippi River system. The study will investigate ways to provide ecosystem restoration that are in balance with the current uses of the river.

Several plans will be presented, and the availability of resources, physical features required, and the benefits, impacts and costs associated with each alternative will be compared. The current and future effects of alternatives on wetland use will also be considered.

The findings of the study will seek to address and compare trade-offs with the current use of river resources and the limits to which these trade-offs may be accepted. Ultimately, the study will identify the most efficient, effective, and complete plan that achieves wetland restoration, as well as justifies the investment of federal and state funds in such a plan.

Public participation is an integral part of a water resources study. To aid the Task Force in this study, please share your perspective on the problems you see as well as the solutions you think would provide the most efficient distribution of river resources. Your participation greatly enhances the understanding of both the problems and possible solutions.

Please send any information or comments to:

Timothy Axtman
MRSNFR, Study Manager
CELMN-PD-FE
P.O. Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70160