Louisiana Secures $260 Million for Coastal Restoration and Storm Surge Protection

Louisiana will get more than $260 million for two large-scale coastal restoration projects, including one aiming to shore up key sections of an eroding chunk of vital land that helps protect the New Orleans area from storm surge. The projects are being paid for with funds related to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Trustees overseeing those funds gave final approval for the two plans last week. They include work along sections of what is known as the East Orleans Landbridge on the far eastern edge of New Orleans. The landbridge divides Lakes Pontchartrain, St. Catherine and Borgne, but has been gradually disappearing for decades. It is estimated to help protect some 1.5 million people in the New Orleans area from storm surge, on both sides of Lake Pontchartrain, while also preventing further saltwater intrusion into the brackish estuary. One section of it is estimated to have lost about 110 acres of marsh since 1956. The plan would be the largest restoration project yet for the landbridge. Another plan will restore Raccoon Island, a barrier island off Terrebonne Parish that is part of the Isles Dernieres chain. The island provides important habitat for birds, fish and shellfish and acts as storm surge buffer for parts of the central Louisiana coast. Some $109.4 million was approved for the landbridge work and another $156.3 million for Raccoon Island. "Together, these projects will restore up to 1,700 acres in wetland, coastal and nearshore habitat," the trustees, which include a range of state and federal agencies, said in a statement. Roughly $8.5 billion in fines and settlement dollars related to the BP spill have been set aside for Louisiana restoration projects. The state has used the funding to carry out large-scale coastal restoration work, but the funding expires by 2032. Projects already given the green light by that time will continue, but the lack of future funding will leave the state with a huge fiscal gap for coastal work in the future. The landbridge project would create around 1,290 acres of marsh, or nearly 1,000 football fields, mainly along the Rigolets. It would also include shoreline protection in the form of permeable containers with limestone to help prevent erosion. Cordgrass, roseau cane and other native vegetation would be planted atop the sediment. Some 5 million cubic yards of sediment dredged from nearby Lake St. Catherine would be used — enough to overflow the Superdome. The state has estimated that construction could begin in the fall of 2027 and last around three years. The landbridge is familiar to those who have taken the drive all the way down U.S. 90, or Chef Menteur Highway, beyond the New Orleans area's hurricane protection system and over the old swing bridge. Fishing camps dot the area residents sometimes call the "the island," as it sits on the narrow strip between Chef Pass and the Rigolets. Erosion, subsidence, sea level rise and hurricanes have taken a heavy toll on the landbridge. Losing it completely would allow tides and storm surge to roll in from the Gulf unimpeded. The state’s coastal master plan lays out a larger strategy for restoring 29,000 acres of it at a cost of $1.1 billion. Smaller restoration projects have been completed in the past. Michael Hare, executive director of the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said in a statement that the project "is an important investment in the long-term health and sustainability of Louisiana’s coast." "By restoring critical marsh habitat and strengthening shoreline protection, this project will help preserve valuable coastal resources, support fish and wildlife habitat, and improve the resilience of this important landscape for future generations," he said. Coastal advocacy groups have long pushed for landbridge restoration projects and welcomed final approval of the plan. "This project will strengthen vital wildlife habitat while also protecting communities, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Slidell, Mandeville and LaPlace, from flooding and storm surge," the Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition of coastal advocacy organizations said in a statement. The coalition added that the project "exemplifies the kind of large-scale, science-driven restoration needed to protect our coast and the communities that depend on it for generations to come.” The Raccoon Island project would restore around 410 acres using dredged material while raising existing breakwaters and constructing shoreline protection. The protection structures would include living shoreline using oyster growth as well as rubble breakwaters.