GIWW (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) to Clovelly Hydrologic Restoration (BA-02)

The constructed rock breakwater located in Bay L’Ours will assist in reducing wave energies before they impact the shore and will also arouse the curiosity of local waterfowl such as these pelicans.

Location

The center of the project area is in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, approximately 5 miles southeast of Cut Off. It is bordered to the north by a pipeline canal north of the Clovelly Canal, to the west by West Fork Bayou L’Ours, to the east by Little Lake, and to the south by oilfield canals. The project encompasses 14,948 acres of primarily intermediate (94%) and brackish (6%) marshes.

Problems

The wetlands in the project area are of great importance to the ecological future of the Barataria estuary and to the protection of adjacent developed areas. The area is losing approximately 450 acres per year due to channelization, shoreline erosion, and saltwater intrusion.

Restoration Strategy

The project features include three rock weirs and four canal plugs. There is also a plug with a flap-gated culvert and one with a variable crest weir. In addition, there is a weir with a barge bay in the Clovelly Canal, 5,000 feet of shoreline reestablishment along project-area canals, and 6,000 feet of lake-rim reestablishment at Bay L’Ours. Finally, the spoil and marsh banks along canals in the project area’s southern perimeter are being maintained.

 

Progress to Date

The project was divided into two contracts in order to expedite implementation. The first contract was to install most of the weir structures. The second contract was to install bank protection, one weir, and one plug. The construction of the project’s unit 1 was completed in November 1997. Unit 2 was completed in October 2000.The O&M plan was signed in 2002. This project is on Priority Project List 1.

This winch which is permanently attached to the variable crest, water control structure located right off Briton Canal, will help to configure the structure according to a pre-determined water management plan.

The project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 1.

The Federal Sponsor is Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Approved Date: 1991
Project Area: 14,948 acres
Approved Funds: $12.7 M
Total Est. Cost: $12.8 M
Net Benefit After 20 Years: 175 acres
Status: Completed October 2000
Project Type: Demonstration: Hydrologic Restoration

Caminada Headlands Back Barrier Marsh Creation – Increment 2 (BA-193)

Dredged material from the Gulf of Mexico will be pumped into open-water areas which will create 250 acres of back barrier marsh and nourish 293 acres of emergent marsh behind 4 miles of the Caminada Beach.

Location

The Caminada Headland is defined as the area south of Louisiana Highway 1 between Belle Pass and Caminada Pass. The Project is located directly behind Caminada headland beach east of Bayou Moreau and west of Elmer’s Island. The Project is located in CWPPRA Planning Region 2, Barataria Basin, in Lafourche and Jefferson Parishes.

Problems

The Project is located in an especially dynamic area of the Louisiana Coast, experiencing some of the highest shoreline retreat rates in Louisiana averaging 41.4 feet/year over the last century.  Between 2006 and 2011 shoreline migration increased dramatically, exceeding 80 ft/yr near Bay Champagne and 110 ft/yr near Bayou Moreau. The increased losses occurred after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 as the breaches remained open for an extended length of time which were then exacerbated by Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. The prolonged breaches greatly increased the net export of sediment from the headland.

Restoration Strategy

The goals of this project are to: 1) Create and/or nourish 543 acres of emergent back barrier marsh, by pumping sediment from an offshore borrow site; 2) Create a platform upon which the beach and dune can migrate, reducing the likelihood of breaching, increasing the retention of overwashed sediment, improving the longevity of the barrier shoreline, and protecting wetlands and infrastructure to the north and west. The marsh creation and nourishment cells are designed to minimize impacts on existing marsh and mangroves.  Assuming some natural recruitment, vegetative plantings are planned for 50% of the project area, with half planted at TY3 and half at TY5 (if needed). Containment dikes will be degraded or gapped by TY3 for estuarine organism access. The project would result in approximately 160 net acres over the 20-year project life and would work synergistically with Caminada Headland Beach and Dune Restoration Projects (BA-45 and BA-143), as well as Caminada Headland Back Barrier Marsh Creation Project (BA-171).

Progress to Date

The 30% design review and 95% design review meetings were held on July 10, 2018 and October 25, 2018, respectively. The Phase II Request for construction funding was presented to the CWPPRA Tech Committee on December 6, 2018.

This project is on Priority Project List 25.

The Federal Sponsor is EPA

The Local Sponsor is CPRA

CWPPRA Outreach at the Leeville Art & Heritage Festival

On April 1^st residents of Lafourche Parish and places farther afield had a sunny and windy day to celebrate the 4^th Annual Leeville Art & Heritage Festival in Golden Meadow, LA. Organized by Launch Leeville, this festival works to highlight changes in the landscape and community around Leeville as processes like subsidence, erosion, and sea level rise convert land to water. Staff from the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, and other exhibitors such as the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, were present to talk about the causes of land loss and options for protecting and restoring what remains. In addition to live music, craft vendors, and a shrimp boulette competition, festival-goers could learn about coastal restoration projects, see Houma basket weaving demonstrations, and participate in a fishing rodeo.

Leeville sits along Bayou Lafourche and Louisiana Rt. 1, two geographic features that have witnessed a number of CWPPRA projects, from the West Belle Pass Headland Restoration (TE-23) project, which created new marsh and stabilized shorelines to the south of Port Fourchon, to the GIWW to Clovelly Hydrologic Restoration (BA-02) project, which increased freshwater availability to prevent higher salinity levels which could damage local vegetation. Another CWPPRA project, East Leeville Marsh Creation and Nourishment (BA-194), is currently in engineering & design and would provide increased southeastern protection for Leeville from weather and tides. Preserving the livelihoods and heritage of small communities like Leeville requires both protecting their physical setting and giving them the time and space to develop strategies for a changing future.