General DNR News

Five Breaux Act coastal restoration projects celebrated today at Grand Isle State Park

Grand Isle, LA - Breaux Act Task Force members, state and local leaders, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials and the public gathered on the beautiful grounds of Grand Isle State Park in Jefferson Parish to celebrate and view the progress of five southeast area restoration projects built or currently under construction by state and federal partners at a combined cost of $133.6 million.

With the Gulf of Mexico as a backdrop, the dedication ceremony highlighted three NOAA National Marine Fisheries (NMFS) projects, one Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) project and one USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service project that include:

Vegetative Plantings of a Dredged Material Disposal Site on Grand Terre Island, Jefferson Parish
Project Status: Completed July 2001
Cost: $493,753
273 acres overall to benefit 663 acres
Located on west Grand Terre Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay Waterway
DNR and federal sponsor NMFS
The goal of the project was to stabilize the material with native dune and marsh vegetative plantings.

Timbalier Island Dune and Marsh Restoration, Terrebonne Parish
Project Status: Construction completed June 2005
Cost: $16.7 million
127 acres overall to benefit 297 acres
Located south of Terrebonne Bay and west of East Timbalier Island
DNR and federal sponsor U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The objective of this project is to restore the eastern end of Timbalier Island through the direct creation of dune and marsh habitat.

Little Lake Shoreline Protection/Dedicated Dredging Near Round Lake, Lafourche Parish
Project Status: Anticipated January 2007
Cost: $38.5 million
713 acres overall to benefit 1,373 acres
Located in the central Barataria Basin
DNR and federal sponsor NMFS
This project is planned to protect four miles of the shoreline, create 488 acres of intertidal marsh, and nourish 532 acres of existing marsh along the southwest shore of Little Lake.

Barataria Barrier Island Complex Project: Pelican Island and Pass La Mer to Chaland Pass, Plaquemines Parish
Project Status: Anticipated September 2006
Cost: $67.3 million
534 acres overall to benefit 1,117 acres
Located along two sections of the Plaquemines/Barataria Shoreline
DNR and federal sponsor NMFS
This project is broken into two phases. The first phase at the Chaland Headland is currently under construction and will restore and create about 180 acres of dune and 246 acres of intertidal marsh.

Raccoon Island Shoreline Protection/Marsh Creation, Terrebonne Parish
Project Status: Anticipated July 2008
Cost: $10.6 million
16 acres overall to benefit 502 acres
Located on the western-most island of the Isles Dernieres
DNR and federal sponsor NRCS
This project will reduce the rate of gulf shoreline retreat and protect existing critical habitat of an eroding backbay marsh and will be constructed in two phases: The first phase features the construction of eight additional segmented breakwaters along the gulf side of the island just west of the existing and previously constructed Demonstration Breakwaters (TE-29). The second phase entails backbay marsh creation.

Breaux Act projects are implemented through agreements between federal project sponsors and the DNR. Projects are selected and managed by the Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act Task Force. The Task Force is a partnership among the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Commerce's NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Governor's Office.

These projects are among 138 coastal restoration projects approved under the federal Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) enacted in 1990, authored by Senator Breaux and so named, providing Louisiana approximately $50 million in federal funding each year.

Speaking on behalf of the Breaux Act members were Scott Rayder, Deputy Chief of Staff, NOAA, Dr. Jane Watson, Chief of EPA's Ecosystem Protection Branch, and Don Gohmert, State Conservationist, NRCS.

DNR Secretary Scott Angelle served as master of ceremonies and also gave remarks following a community welcome by Grand Isle Mayor David J. Camardelle. Plaquemines Parish President Benny Rouselle provided closing comments.

A luncheon was held at Bridge Side Marina following the ceremony.

A number of special sponsors that provided assistance for the event were acknowledged including the Town of Grand Isle, Jefferson Parish Government, Lafourche Parish Government, Plaquemines Parish Government, Terrebonne Parish Government, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Office of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, Office of State Parks, Grand Isle State Park, Bridge Side Marina, Shaw Coastal, Inc., and Weeks Marine.

During the 20th century, coastal Louisiana lost 1.2 million acres (1,900 sq. mi.) of land, and if nothing is done, could potentially lose another 430,000 acres (670 sq. mi.) in the next 50 years. The acreage lost and projected to be lost over this 100 plus year period is greater than the size of Delaware and Washington, DC-Baltimore, MD metropolitan area combined.

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), enacted in 1990 and also known as the Breaux Act, provides approximately $50 million a year for coastal protection and restoration in Louisiana. The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force oversees the implementation of CWPPRA in Louisiana. The Task Force is composed of the State of Louisiana and five federal agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, NOAA-National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This unique partnership has led to the completion of 67 projects throughout Louisiana's coastal zone. The program also has 71 projects either in the engineering and design or construction phases.

For more information about America's vanishing wetland and efforts to protect and restore it, visit www.LaCoast.gov.

ATTENTION: TV NEWSROOM ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

5pm-6pm-10pm/Morning Show/Noon Producers
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Friday, June 16, 2006 - 4:30 pm - 4:45 pm Central
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For more information, contact Gabrielle B. Bodin, CWPPRA Outreach Coordinator; 337.266.8623 (office) or 337.344.9617 (cell); Gabrielle_Bodin@usgs.gov