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Governor Signs Funding Law
Governor Mike Foster
House Bill 1081, which stabilizes the annual funding of Louisiana’s Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Fund, was recently signed into law by Governor Mike Foster.
The new law mandates that each year up to 2 percent of the state’s net mineral income, plus $5 million, be dedicated for coastal restoration. This stabilizes the stream of revenue for the fund at about $18 million annually The money will be used as a match with federal revenues, together amounting to up to $80 million a year for projects.
East Timbalier Restoration in Progress
An $11.2 million Breaux Act project that will link the western and eastern fragments of East Timbalier Island is currently under way. Sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the project will pump 2.9 million cubic yards of sand into the one- and two-foot-deep water where the island once stood, restoring about 250 acres of the island.
The sand is being collected from under the waters of Little Pass Timbalier by a giant suction dredge and pumped more than three miles to the island. So much erosion occurred in the last year that the amount of sand called for in the original specifications had to be increased 30 percent.
CD-ROM Now Available
"Explore Coastal Louisiana," an interactive, educational CD-ROM designed for the general public, is now avail-able. High schools will find it a useful addition to their environmental science curricula, while science centers and visitor centers may wish to include it in their exhibits.
"Explore Coastal Louisiana" was produced with Breaux Act funds by the Coastal Wetlands Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Barataria/Terrebone National Estuary Program. To obtain a copy, contact the Breaux Act Task Force outreach coordinator at 504-862-2786, or go to "free stuff" on the LA Coast Web site (http://www.lacoast.gov).
Sweet Lake-Willow Lake Contract Awarded
Construction contractors reinforce a canal bank with rock. Similar work will occur at the Sweet Lake-Willow Lake project.
The $1.3 million contract for the Sweet Lake-Willow Lake Project has been awarded to help protect the north bank of the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway in Cameron Parish.
For years, waves generated by boats have taken a toll on the waterway’s banks, and placing rock along the bank where it breaches into Sweet and Willow lakes will reduce erosion of the bank and provide a rock buffer against the waves.
This Natural Resources Conservation Service project will help stabilize about 14,000 feet of shoreline at Sweet Lake and approximately 4,200 feet of shoreline at Willow Lake along the Intracoastal Waterway. To carry out this project, approximately 55,500 tons of rock riprap will be placed along the bank of the waterway.
"Besides bank protection, the project will also increase aquatic vegetation within a 6,000-acre area," explained Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist. "The project will also allow retention of fresh water and prevent loss of sediments and nutrients currently being suspended and flushed out of the system."
Col. Julich Heads Up Task Force
Col. Thomas Julich
Col. Thomas Julich is the new Breaux Act Task Force chairman. That role is one of the duties he assumed on July 16 when he took command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New Orleans District. "I consider the work that I will be involved with on the Breaux Act Task Force to be one of the most important contributions that I can make as the district engineer here in New Orleans. Much has been done to date, but so much more is needed," Julich stated. Julich formerly served on the Army staff at the Pentagon in Installation Management. During his career, the new district engineer has served in a variety of assignments, including two tours of duty in Germany and one in Korea, and a two-year assignment as district engineer for the Charleston District. A 1976 graduate of West Point, he holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington. He is also a recent graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.
Breaux Act Video in Production
Initial filming is under way on a new Breaux Act educational video that focuses on Coast 2050 projections, the economic dimensions of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands loss and the potential effects on the national economy. The increasing vulnerability of Louisiana’s coastal communities to hurricanes and other severe storm events will also be covered. The video is scheduled for release in late 1999. Another educational video on coastal wetland loss was recently released, called "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow." Produced by the New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it describes the sobering impacts of coastal erosion through the words of a fisherman, and shows the viewer the gains made from island restoration and large-scale freshwater diversion projects. Call 504-862-2201 to request a copy.