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

Freshwater Bayou Bank Stabilization (ME-13)

By placing riprap in front of the existing shoreline, further wetland loss will be decreased dramatically. It is anticipated that open water areas behind the rock structure will accumulate sediments and eventually become vegetated.

Location

This project is located along the west bank of Freshwater Bayou Canal near Little Vermilion Bay, 4 miles southwest of Intracoastal City, Louisiana, in Vermilion Parish. It
extends north from North Prong and Belle Isle Bayou to Sixmile Canal.

Problems

Increased tidal action, saltwater intrusion, and boat wakes have accelerated erosion long the banks of the Freshwater Bayou Canal. The spoil banks have completely eroded in some areas. The remaining spoil banks along the southern reach of the project area separate Freshwater Bayou Canal from several interior marsh ponds. If the banks breach, shoreline erosion will accelerate interior marsh loss.

Restoration Strategy

The objective of this project was to prevent further wetland loss through the reduction of bank erosion and subsequent tidal scour of shoreline marshes. Approximately 23,193 linear feet of freestanding rock dike were constructed in shallow water along the west bank of Freshwater Bayou Canal (from its confluence with Sixmile Canal on the northern end and North Prong to the south).

Progress to Date

The local cost share for this project was provided by Acadian Gas Company. Construction began in March 1998 and was completed in May 1998. The monitoring plan was approved in February 1997. To date, monitoring has consisted of documenting the pre-construction shoreline position relative to the rock dike and a land-to-water analysis of the preconstruction aerial photography that was taken in January 1997. This project is on Priority Project List 5.

The project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 5.

The Federal Sponsor is National Resources Conservation Service

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Approved Date: 1996
Project Area: 1,724 acres
Approved Funds: $5.56 M
Total Est. Cost: $8.91 M
Net Benefit After 20 Years: 511 acres
Status: Completed June 1998
Project Type: Shoreline Protection

GIWW – Perry Ridge West Bank Stabilization (CS-30)

Settlement plates such as the one pictured here will be used to determine if settling of the structure has occurred. Technicians from NRCS’s Crowley Watershed Office are shown taking baseline elevations before more rock is deposited. Future elevation readings will be taken after the structure is completed.

Location

The project is located along the northern bank of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) between Perry Ridge and the Sabine River in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana.

Problems

This section of the GIWW was dredged to allow the use of doublewide barges, and,  consequently, has intensified the occurrence of wake erosion. In addition, the construction of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the deepening of Sabine Pass have increased the salinity and water currents within the GIWW. These activities have caused the GIWW shoreline to breach, thus impacting the interior marsh of the project area.

Restoration Strategy

Proposed project components involve installation of 9,500 feet of rock riprap along the northern bank of the GIWW from Perry Ridge to its intersection with the Sabine River.
An additional 2,200 feet of rock riprap will be installed from the Sabine/GIWW intersection north along the Sabine River. This proposed work is referred to as “construction unit number 2.” Approximately 22,952 linear feet of terraces will
be constructed in the shallow, open water areas north of the GIWW to reduce fetch (distance a wave can travel) and allow recovery of the interior marshes. Terraces will be
vegetated with 9,400 trade-gallon-sized plantings of California bulrush. This proposed work is referred to as “construction unit number 3.”

Progress to Date

Project construction is complete. The monitoring plan is currently in development and should be finalized in the spring of 2002.

The project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 9.

The Federal Sponsor is Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Approved Date: 2000
Project Area: 1,132 acres
Approved Funds: $2.19 M
Total Est. Cost: $2.20 M
Net Benefit After 20 Years: 83 acres
Status: Completed
Project Type: Shoreline Protection

Nutria Harvest for Wetland Restoration Demonstration (LA-03a)

Louisiana’s growing nutria population is detrimental to the state’s coastal marshes as the animals consume wetland plants that hold the soil together.

Location

This project was located throughout the coastal zone of Louisiana.

Problems

The nutria is a non-native, fur-bearing species in the rodent family that was introduced to enhance the Louisiana fur industry. Since the decline of the fur industry, nutria populations have increased tremendously along the coast. Because nutria voraciously consume marsh plants that help anchor wetlands, this non-native nutria population is now having a significant negative impact on coastal marsh health.

Restoration Strategy

The goals of this demonstration project were to determine if nutria meat for human consumption could be promoted and determine if a meat processing system promotional program could be developed. Meeting these goals would have facilitated nutria harvest through an increased meat demand. The project called for Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act funding matching that of participating meat-processing plants in order to compensate trappers for the nutria they harvest. The project also included monitoring selected coastal marsh areas by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) to assess both nutria damage and recovery resulting from this project.

Other components of the project included nutria meat recipe development and publication, along with an advertising and marketing strategy focused on increasing the public demand for nutria meat. The project was implemented by the LDWF with oversight by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Progress to Date

This demonstration project was approved by the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force in April 1997. Through this project, LDWF has coordinated with consultants to develop and implement various nutria meat marketing activities.

Marketing activities included LDWF staff activities and contracting with consultants to: (1) develop and evaluate local, national, and international nutria meat market potential for human consumption; (2) develop a nutria meat marketing plan, including a Nutria Marketing Strategic Report which proposed various ways to encourage the public to eat nutria; (3) participate in festivals and chef’s competitions; (4) distribute nutria meat to the public through sales at grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail outlets; (5) determine nutria meat processing costs, product price structure, and potential meat production volume; and (6) plan promotional and advertising activities based on the Nutria Marketing Strategic Report.

The LDWF 1999, 2000, and 2001 nutria coastal damage surveys and reports indicated continued nutria-related marsh damages in the Louisiana deltaic plain at a level of approximately 100,000 acres per year impacted. Because of the January 2002 Task Force approval of the larger Coastwide Nutria Control Program (LA-03b), the LDWF discontinued providing incentive payments to trappers and conducting nutria herbivory surveys under this demonstration project. Those two items will be funded under the larger project. However, funding for nutria meat processors enrolled in the program, as well as nutria meat marketing activities, continued until the project was completed in October 2003. This project is on Priority Project List 6.

The project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 6.

The Federal Sponsor is US Fish & Wildlife Service.

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Approved Date: 1997
Project Area: N/A
Approved Funds: $0.80 M
Total Est. Cost: $0.80 M
Net Benefit After 20 Years: N/A
Status: Completed
Project Type: Demonstration: Herbivory Control