The 2021 

Evaluation Report

to the U.S. Congress

on the Effectiveness

of Coastal Wetlands

Planning, Protection

and Restoration

Act Projects

Coastal Wetlands 

Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act 

(CWPPRA)
Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force. 2021. The 2021 Evaluation Report to the 

U.S. Congress on the Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands, Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Projects.

Map images provided by the U.S. Geological Survey Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. 

Cover image by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - CWPPRA South Lake Lery Shoreline and Marsh Restoration (BS-16) Project
CWPPRA Mission Statement

Louisiana continues to face an unprecedented collapse of its entire coastal ecosystem 

and the vital economic activity and unique culture that it supports. Over the past 

30 years, the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force 

(Task Force) has fulfilled its role under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) by implementing a science and engineering based 

program that extensively engages stakeholders and the public and serves as the 

Nation’s model for effective and efficient coastal restoration. To secure the future of 

Louisiana’s coast, the Task Force and stakeholders must share a common vision, one 

that aligns with State and national priorities.

Introduction

Benefits to Fish and Wildlife

Coastal Resiliency 

Calcasieu-Sabine Basin

Mermentau Basin

Teche-Vermilion Basin

Atchafalaya Basin

Terrebonne Basin

Barataria Basin

Mississippi River Delta

Breton Sound Basin

Pontchartrain Basin

Demonstration

Coastwide

Conclusion

References

Appendices

Documentation

Acknowledgements

The Task Force wishes to thank Governor of Louisiana, John Bel Edwards, the 

Louisiana Legislature, the Federal Louisiana Delegation, and the U.S. Congress for 

their support of this crucial program.

This report is submitted by the Task Force in accordance with CWPPRA, Title III of 

Public Law 101–646. This report fulfills the CWPPRA mandate, which requires a 

report to the U.S. Congress every 3 years on the effectiveness of Louisiana’s coastal 

wetland restoration projects.

Table of Contents

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20 CWPPRA at work. Members of the CWPPRA workgroups set out on their annual visits in the 

field to collect valuable data necessary to develop successful wetland restoration projects.

5

USGS
2 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

Louisiana’s coastal zone is home to approximately 37 percent 

of all coastal marshes and 45 percent of all intertidal coastal marshes in 

the lower 48 States, but annually, Louisiana is losing 80 percent of the 

entire nation’s coastal wetlands. Since the 1930s, coastal Louisiana has 

lost more than 1,860 square miles (1.2 million acres), an area more than 

25 times larger than Washington, D.C (Couvillion and others, 2017).

The dire need to restore and protect Louisiana’s coastal 

wetlands has been clearly established and our ability 

to sustain the ecological and economic health of 

the Louisiana coastal zone is largely dependent 

upon coastal restoration and protection activities. 

Louisiana’s wetlands provide a variety of benefits 

that serve the Nation across an array of economic 

sectors. Because of these benefits, the coastal 

wetland loss crisis in Louisiana is considered a matter 

of national concern.

Congress recognized the ongoing severe 

coastal wetland losses in Louisiana 

and the increasing impacts on locally, 

regionally, and nationally important 

resources when it established the 

CWPPRA in 1990 (Public Law 101-646, 

Title III). As part of CWPPRA, Congress 

established and directed the Task 

Force to prepare, annually update, and 

implement a list of Louisiana coastal 

wetland restoration projects. Consistent 

with Louisiana’s Comprehensive 

Coastal Master Plan, which charts 

Louisiana’s coastal restoration over 50 

years, these projects provide for the 

long-term conservation of wetlands and 

dependent fish and wildlife populations.

Between 1990 and 2021, CWPPRA has 

constructed, or funded for construction, 

projects to protect and restore close to 

101,438 net acres (158 square miles) 

of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. As of 

Introduction

August 2021, 114 projects have been constructed, 17 are currently under 

construction, and 29 are in engineering and design. Between 2019 and 

2021, the Task Force approved 11 new projects for Phase 1 – Engineering 

and Design. During that same period, the Task Force authorized six 

projects for Phase 2 – Construction, which are expected to result in 

2,643 net acres of wetlands. Several projects have also completed 

construction during that time frame, restoring and creating 2,115 

net acres of wetlands in total (Table 1, page 3).

CWPPRA projects are typically planned and designed for 

a 20-year lifespan following construction completion. 

During that timeframe, the project will be operated and 

maintained to ensure effectiveness and overall success 

and will be monitored for environmental parameters, 

such as land change and emergent vegetation, and 

inform future operation and maintenance activities.

CWPPRA monitoring data provide vital 

information to evaluate not only the 

CWPPRA projects, but also other restoration 

programs and the state of the coast in 

general. The monitoring data collected 

through the CWPPRA Program are used 

to select, prioritize, and design nearly all 

coastal restoration projects. Since 2007, the 

Coastwide Reference Monitoring System 

(CRMS), primarily funded by CWPPRA and 

the State of Louisiana, has provided critical 

baseline ecological data to inform coastal 

restoration and disaster response activities 

throughout Louisiana’s four ecologic 

regions. These regions cover nine hydrologic 

basins: Calcasieu-Sabine, Mermentau, 

Teche-Vermilion, Atchafalaya, Terrebonne, 

Barataria, Mississippi River Delta, Breton 

Sound, and Pontchartrain. The following 

sections provide net acres benefitted and 

an example of a constructed project in these 

basins, demonstrating the effectiveness of 

CWPPRA to address land loss in Louisiana’s 

coastal wetlands.

. 

Louisiana 

Fisheries

2019 Statistics NOAA Fisheries, Fisheries Statistics Division Accessed 02-08-21

17

114 29
3 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

Table 1. Total net acres projected to be created, protected, or restored for projects in engineering and design, construction, and projects constructed from 2019 to 2021*. Total net acres for engineering and design: 3,617; construction: 2,643; constructed: 2,115. (CWPPRA Environmental Workgroup, 2021)

*The CWPPRA Environmental Workgroup uses Wetland Value Assessments (WVA) to analyze and determine potential benefit acres for a CWPPRA project over the length of its 20-year life span. It is important to distinguish between WVAs acres of benefit, which can include multiple types of benefit, and reported land area benefit acreages. The land change dynamics acreage numbers for each basin in this report are derived from a comparison between pre-construction and post-construction land change rates assessed via satellite imagery.
4 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

CWPPRA Benefits to Fish and Wildlife

Benefits analyses developed by the CWPPRA Environmental 

Workgroup estimate that 101,438 acres of protected and 

created coastal wetlands can be attributed to CWPPRA in 

its first 30 years. Those restored swamps, marshes, and 

barrier islands/headlands and associated open-water 

habitats provide foraging, nesting, breeding, wintering, 

refuge, and nursery habitat for a myriad of coastal fish 

and wildlife. This includes threatened and endangered, 

at-risk, and rare species, as well as commercially and 

recreationally valuable species and State and national fish 

and wildlife trust resources.

Habitats restored through CWPPRA have aided in the 

delisting of our national symbol, the bald eagle, and 

the Louisiana State bird, the brown pelican, from the 

endangered species list. Located along the Mississippi 

and Central Flyways, coastal Louisiana provides wintering 

habitat for more than 5 million waterfowl and habitat 

for Neotropical migrant birds. Appendix 2 lists some of 

the threated and endangered, and at-risk/rare species 

found in the Louisiana coastal zone. The appendix also 

contains the waterfowl, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, 

and commercially and recreationally important fisheries 

benefitted by CWPPRA projects.

Many economically important saltwater fishes and 

crustaceans spawn in nearshore and offshore waters of the 

Gulf of Mexico (e.g., blue crab, red drum, Gulf menhaden, 

shrimp, and spotted seatrout) but post-larval species 

and juveniles depend on natural and restored estuarine 

habitats in Louisiana for foraging and nursery areas. The 

estuarine-dependent, post-larval, and juvenile fisheries 

species contribute to the estuarine food web and some 

serve as prey for predators and highly migratory species 

(such as jacks, tuna, billfishes and sharks).

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands also provide habitat for 

the commercial trapping of the American alligator and 

furbearers (e.g., muskrat, mink, and otter) and natural 

areas for tourist activities, such as bird watching, boating, 

swimming, and hiking. 

Saving WetlandsHelps Threatened & Endangered Species

CWPPRA is rebuilding wetlands to 

protect these species. Beach and 

marsh habitat are created with 

dredged material. New plants in 

these wetlands take root and provide 

food and shelter for fish and wildlife. 

acres of wetlands 

are projected to be 

protected, created, 

or restored. More 

than 351,000 acres are projected to be enhanced by 

CWPPRA projects.

Louisiana is home to 

threatened or endangered species.

species reside in coastal zone habitats. 

32

16

101,438

CPRA CPRA
5 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

CWPPRA Supports Coastal Resiliency 

Our national economy benefits greatly from 

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands. Economic 

activity in Louisiana’s coastal zone includes 

oil and gas production, shipping commerce, 

commercial fisheries, oyster production, and 

fur harvesting. Coastal Louisiana employs 

939,000 people annually, earning almost $46 

billion (NOAA OCM 2018). This equates to over 

$120 billion on gross domestic product (NOAA 

OCM 2018). Due to wetland loss, however, 

coastal Louisiana and the economic activity 

it produces is vulnerable to subsidence, sea 

level rise, and storm impacts. 

Louisiana experienced a record-breaking 

hurricane season in 2020. Five named storms 

made landfall in the State, of which, three 

were hurricanes. Hurricanes Laura and Delta 

arrived in southwestern Louisiana six weeks 

apart. Laura, the strongest category four 

hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 

1956, is one of the strongest hurricanes on 

record to make landfall in the U.S. At category 

two strength, Hurricane Delta made landfall in 

nearly the same location as Hurricane Laura. 

Hurricane Zeta then impacted southeastern 

Louisiana less than three weeks later as a 

category two hurricane. Collectively, over 

$20 billion in estimated damages resulted 

due to the impacts of the five named storms 

(NOAA NCEI 2021). According to post-storm 

assessments, CWPPRA marsh creation sites, 

terraces, and shoreline protection features 

fared well, while some water control features 

sustained some storm damage.

Coastal restoration projects, such as those 

constructed through the CWPPRA Program, 

provide a buffer to coastal communities and 

critical infrastructure that are of national 

economic importance. Continued wetland 

loss without further action will impact 

the Louisiana coastal region’s ability to 

recover quickly after future devastating 

storm events. The CWPPRA Program not 

only restores the coast but strengthens and 

supports economic and coastal resiliency 

by identifying coastal areas with increasing 

land loss rates and executing land building 

projects in those areas.

CWPPRA projects provide protection to coastal communities. The Northwest Turtle Bay Marsh 

Creation (BA-125) project consists of approximately 700 acres of marsh created with dredged material 

from Turtle Bay or Little Lake. Roughly six to seven miles to the northeast are the towns of Lafitte and 

Jean Lafitte, fishing communities rich in culture and located in the middle of the Barataria estuary.

CWPPRA projects provide protection to critical infrastructure. LaBranche Central Marsh Creation 

(PO-133) was recently combined with LaBranche East Marsh Creation (PO-75) and approved for 

construction in early 2020. The combined project will provide a protective buffer to Interstate 10, the 

region’s primary hurricane evacuation route.

GOES-16 geocolor visible image of Hurricane Laura 

nearing peak intensity on August 26, 2020.

NOAA/NESDIS/STAR

 Gulf Coast Air Photo & Coastal Dredging Company, Inc. Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA. USGS, AeoroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community.
6 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects Coastal Louisiana Land Loss
7 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

CALCASIEU-SABINE BASIN

Land Change Dynamics

Calcasieu-Sabine Basin is the western most basin in Louisiana. It is bordered on 

the west by Texas and extends eastward to Grand Lake. It contains vast expanses 

of coastal marshes spanning from saline to freshwater environments. Major water 

bodies include Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes and navigation channels important to 

the local economy, such as the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf Intracoastal 

Waterway (GIWW). 

The Calcasieu-Sabine Basin experienced the highest rates of wetland loss prior to 

the 1970s (average -2,348 acres/year, -9.5 km2/year); however, rates have slowly 

decreased since that time, except for hurricane-induced losses in 2005 and 2008. 

Rates of wetland loss have ranged from a net loss of 2,470 acres/year (~10 km2/

year) at the peak of wetland loss rates, to an estimate of 494 acres/year (~2 km2/

year) most recently (Couvillion et al. 2017). The major causes of land loss in this 

basin are saltwater intrusion, subsidence, and storms. Calcasieu-Sabine Basin 

was in the direct path of two hurricanes in 2020. The wetland impacts of land 

change and wetland health are still under investigation.

In the Calcasieu-Sabine Basin, constructed marsh creation, terracing, and shoreline 

protection features, similar to the project highlighted below, have contributed 

approximately 7,788 acres (+/- 1230 acres) of net land area benefit, either from 

new land built or land sustained from project inception through 2020. The land 

area benefits from CWPPRA projects in this basin have continued to increase 

through time. This increasing benefit includes land building as additional projects 

have been constructed, but the land sustaining effects of CWPPRA projects in this 

basin have been significant. Land sustained (land that would have been lost in the 

absence of restoration activities), accounts for approximately half of the land area 

benefit in this basin (Figure 1).

Clear Marais Bank Protection 

(CS-22) Project

Constructed in 1997, the CS-22 project extends along the north bank 

of the GIWW between the Alkali Ditch and Goose Lake (Figure 2). The 

freshwater marshes of the project area are threatened by saltwater 

intrusion and marsh loss from breaches in the GIWW shoreline due to 

increased tidal action and boat wakes. Approximately 35,375 linear feet 

of rock dike was constructed along the north bank of the GIWW as a 

shoreline protection feature to protect and hydrologically isolate the 

Clear Marais freshwater wetlands north of the GIWW. 

Overall, from 1997-2015, the project shoreline gained an average of 3.97 

feet/year (Miller and Guidry 2016). The reference area, in comparison, 

was losing an average of -1.13 feet/year prior to 2013 when Calcasieu 

Parish constructed a rock dike using Coastal Impact Assistance Program 

funding that tied into the western end of the CS-22 project. Visual 

observation indicates vertical accretion of the wetland area at many locations between the foreshore rock dike and the shoreline, especially where the 

vegetation has grown contiguous with the rock dike.

Land/water analysis data shows the project is gaining land in recent years after remaining stable from 2000 to 2010. The project has been gaining land at 

a rate of nearly three acres/year, on average, since construction. Prior to construction, the trend was negative, reflecting the loss of shoreline without the 

protection of the rock dike. 

$149 Million Expended

21 Projects Constructed

4 Projects in Engineering & Design

3 Projects in Construction

Figure 1. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Calcasieu-Sabine basin.

Figure 2. An aerial image of the CS-22 project along the GIWW

USACE
8 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

MERMENTAU BASIN

Mermentau Basin is located in the eastern portion of the Chenier Plain between 

Calcasieu-Sabine and Teche-Vermilion Basins. The Mermentau Basin can be divided into 

two sub-basins. The Lakes sub-basin is between two transportation features - the GIWW 

to the north and Louisiana Highway (LA Hwy) 82 to the south. LA Hwy 82 runs atop and 

between the Grand Chenier-Pecan Island ridge complex. The Chenier sub-basin lies 

between this ridge complex and the Gulf of Mexico. About 18 percent (128,200 acres) of 

the basin lands are publicly owned as Federal refuges and State wildlife management areas 

(Mouledous and Sharp 2016).

In terms of total area, Mermentau Basin experienced approximately 120,000 acres (~488 

km2) of wetland loss from 1932 to 2016, and a change rate averaging -1,470 acres/year 

(-5.95 km2/year) (Couvillion et al. 2017). The two sub-basins suffer from distinctly different 

hydrologic problems. The most critical wetland problem in the Lakes sub-basin is excessive 

flooding due to numerous blockages of drainage outlets that increase water levels and 

prolong flooding. The higher water levels may also be responsible for shoreline erosion 

in this area (Mouledous and Sharp 2016). The same blockages to the north also reduce 

freshwater inputs into the Chenier sub-basin in the south, facilitating saltwater intrusion.

Shoreline protection features, like those in the project highlighted below, have effectively 

reduced or halted shoreline erosion in their project locations. Shoreline protection and 

terracing projects in Mermentau Basin have attributed to approximately 3,166 acres (+/- 

1319 acres) of net land area benefit via new land built or land sustained from project 

inception through 2020. In this basin, much of the land area benefits attained prior to 2005 were, at least ephemerally, lost due to Hurricane Rita. 

However, many of those project areas recovered, and as new projects were built, land area benefit has continued to increase. Additionally, land 

sustained accounts for a large portion of the land area benefit in this basin (Figure 3).

Land Change Dynamics

$74 Million Expended

10 Projects Constructed

2 Projects in Engineering & Design

1 Project in Construction

The ME-13 project area encompasses 1,169 acres of 

intermediate and brackish marsh along the west bank of 

Freshwater Bayou Canal (FBC) between its confluence with 

North Prong Belle Isle Bayou Canal and Six-mile Canal in 

Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. The marshes of the project area 

are adversely affected from the west by the influence of 

prolonged periods of elevated water levels from the Grand/

White Lake system, and from the east by tidal scour and 

saltwater intrusion associated with erosion of the spoil 

banks along the west bank of FBC. In 1998, approximately 

23,193 linear feet of rock dike was constructed as a shoreline 

protection feature to protect surrounding marshes.

The shoreline protection provided by the rock dike in the 

project area has been effective in reducing shoreline erosion 

where crown elevation is maintained. While there is evidence 

of erosion in the project area, the rates are very low. Overall 

from 1998-2014, the project shoreline erosion rates were around -0.61 feet/year (Barrilleaux and Guidry 2010). The unprotected reference area, in 

comparison, lost an average of -9.03 feet/year of shoreline. The ME-13 project area has increased in overall land acreage since construction.

Freshwater Bayou Canal Bank 

Stabilization (ME-13) Project 

Figure 3. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Mermentau basin.

Figure 4. The shoreline protection provided by the rock dike in the ME-13 project area has been 

effective in reducing shoreline erosion and has increased overall land acreage since construction.

CPRA
9 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

TECHE-VERMILION BASIN

Land Change Dynamics

The Teche-Vermilion Basin contains roughly 300,000 acres (1,214.1 km2) of wetlands and 

is located in the central coastal zone. East Cote Blanche Bay, West Cote Blanche Bay, and 

Vermilion Bay are dominant features in the basin that influence the hydrology of the area. 

Marsh Island, another important feature on the landscape, serves as a barrier to reduce the 

influence of the more saline waters of the gulf on the marshes to the north. This barrier helps 

maintain the marshes in Teche-Vermilion as mostly fresh, intermediate, and brackish, with 

few saline marshes near the gulf.

The Teche-Vermilion Basin experienced one of the smaller net wetland area losses of the 

nine coastal basins with approximately 36,800 acres (149 km2) lost between 1932 and 2016 

(Couvillion et al. 2017). Factors affecting wetland change in this basin include shoreline 

erosion, change in hydrologic conditions, storm impacts, and herbivory. Teche-Vermilion Basin 

follows a similar pattern to that of the coastwide trend of loss rates increasing to a peak in the 

late 1970s, followed by a reduction in loss rates since that time. The most recently published 

analyses indicate the wetland area change rate in Teche-Vermilion has turned positive in 

recent years. However, the impacts of the 2020 hurricane season may impact these trends.

Terracing, hydrologic restoration, marsh creation, and shoreline protection projects have 

had positive impacts on the landscape of the Teche-Vermilion Basin. Excluding hydrologic 

restorations, CWPPRA projects in this basin have collectively contributed approximately 1,388 

acres (+/- 435 acres) of net land area benefit via new land built or land sustained from project 

inception through 2020. Though land area in the collective project areas in Teche-Vermilion 

Basin is relatively unchanged from the construction of the first CWPPRA project, the land sustaining effect of CWPPRA projects is evident (Figure 5). In 

the absence of these projects, projections indicate substantially more wetland loss would have been observed in these portions of Teche-Vermilion Basin.

1

Little Vermilion Bay Sediment Trapping 

(TV-12) Project

Constructed in 1999, this project was designed to enhance the amount of wetlands 

created by natural deposition of sediments being carried by the GIWW and FBC into 

Little Vermilion Bay. The objectives were to enhance the amount of wetlands created 

by natural sediment deposition through the dredging of distributary channels, 

protect the existing wetlands by reducing wave energy by the creation of terraces, 

create emergent marsh on terrace and on newly deposited soils, and to encourage 

colonization by submerged aquatic vegetation between and around terraces. 

The constructed terraces were very effective at creating emergent marsh habitat, 

starting below 20 acres in 1998 and nearing or surpassing 200 acres as of 2020 

with continued growth expected (Figure 6). The terraces quickly vegetated, through 

plantings and natural recruitment, and the rate of sedimentation increased post 

construction. Most of the inter-terrace areas transitioned from distributary channels 

and shallow bay bottom (≤ -6 ft to -2 ft NAVD) to intermittently exposed tidal flat 

soon after construction (Wood et al 2016). Leveraging synergies, tidal flats created 

by sediments trapped by the terrace field were planted by CWPPRA's Coastwide 

Vegetation Planting Project (LA-39) and since transitioned to marsh. As of 2020, the 

combined efforts of both projects in the one location have resulted in an emergent 

marsh area that is double the original area of terrace construction. 

$52.7 Million Expended 11 Projects Constructed

1Data points in Figure 6 and other similar graphs through this report represent observed land area on specific dates. In the figure, construction completion is 

shown with a vertical grey bar. The model fit represents a pre-and post-construction period of land area change with a 95 percent confidence interval shown by 

dashed lines. In the case of Figure 6, if TV-12 wasn’t constructed, the projected conditions of land area change would have followed a negative trend, as shown 

by the dotted line with grey shading.

Figure 5. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Teche-Vermilion basin. 

Figure 6. TV-12 land area change analyses.
10 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

ATCHAFALAYA BASIN

The Atchafalaya Basin is located in the central part of the coastal zone, west 

of the Terrebonne Basin (Figure 7). Major water features in the basin include 

the Lower Atchafalaya River, Wax Lake Outlet, and Atchafalaya Bay. Fresh marsh, 

wetland scrub-shrub, and forested wetlands are the dominant wetland habitats. 

The most distinct geomorphologic feature of the Atchafalaya Basin are the two 

rapidly prograding deltas - the Atchafalaya River Delta and the Wax Lake Outlet 

Delta. Subaerial delta growth in the Atchafalaya Bay began in the early 1970s and 

subsequent spring floods have supported continued delta expansion (Falcini et 

al. 2012, Carle et al. 2015, Gasparini and Yuill 2020).

The Atchafalaya Basin is unique among the coastal basins because it has a 

growing delta system with nearly stable wetlands. Wetland loss is minor in the 

areas north of Atchafalaya Bay when compared to the other basins. According 

to Couvillion et al. (2017), the basin experienced more than 4,000 acres (~16 

km2) of net wetland gain since 1932. Annual land change rates early in the study 

period showed a negative trajectory. However, following the opening of the 

Wax Lake Outlet in 1942, sediment deposition increased, and a subaerial active 

delta emerged after the flood of 1973. These factors positively influenced the 

Atchafalaya Basin’s land change rates. Atchafalaya Basin wetlands are likely to be 

sustainable into the future due to the high rates of river sedimentation that they 

receive during flooding events.

Because this basin has experienced net wetland gain for the last 50 years, it has 

not been a major focus for wetland restoration projects. However, two CWPPRA 

projects in this basin (AT-02 and AT-03) have contributed approximately 1,421 acres (+/- 258 acres) of wetlands to the area collectively via 

new land built or land sustained from project inception through 2020. These projects consist of beneficial use of dredge material (BUDMAT). 

In these restoration projects, the material from dredging to maintain navigation in the Atchafalaya River channel was used to create 

wetlands in the Atchafalaya Delta. Project benefits have continued to increase through time as a result of recurring BUDMAT activities, as 

well as natural sedimentation contributing to the land building effects of these projects.

Land Change Dynamics

$10.9 Million Expended 2 Projects Constructed

Figure 7. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Atchafalaya basin.

Figure 8. Atchafalaya Sediment Delivery (AT-02)

and the Big Island Mining (AT-03) Projects.

Figure 9. Fresh marsh, wetland scrub-shrub, and forested wetlands 

are the dominant wetland habitats in the Atchafalaya Basin. 

CPRA
11 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

TERREBONNE BASIN

Land Change Dynamics

The Terrebonne Basin consists of marshes and a network of old distributary 

ridges left by an abandoned delta complex. It experiences high subsidence 

due to the unconsolidated sediments that are dewatering and compacting. 

The basin is also known for the series of narrow, low-lying barrier islands at 

its border with the Gulf of Mexico. These islands serve as the first line of 

defense against tropical storms. The Terrebonne Basin is dominated by marsh 

(approximately 574,000 acres;2,322.9 km2), but also supports swamp habitat 

(approximately 155,000 acres;627.3 km2). 

Terrebonne Basin has experienced the greatest decrease in wetland area, with 

approximately 321,730 acres (1,302 km2) of net loss since 1932 (Couvillion et 

al. 2017). The basin experienced higher annual change rates in the late 1970s 

to early 1980s, with gradually decreasing loss rates since that time. Land 

change in the Terrebonne Basin is attributed to subsidence, sediment deficit, 

saltwater intrusion along navigation canals, historic oil and gas activity, 

habitat switching due to prolonged high water levels (swamp/fresh marshes) 

and natural deterioration of barrier islands.

Restoration activities in the Terrebonne Basin include marsh creation, 

shoreline protection, hydrologic restoration and barrier island restoration. 

Excluding hydrologic restorations, CWPPRA projects in the Terrebonne Basin 

have collectively contributed approximately 5,494 acres (+/- 1636 acres) of net 

land area benefit via new land built or land sustained from project inception 

through 2020. Both land building and land sustaining effects of CWPPRA 

projects in this basin have continued to increase through time (Figure 10).

West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline 

Protection and Marsh Creation 

(TE-46) Project 

The TE-46 project was completed in fall 2009. The project consists of 

three segments of foreshore rock dike with corresponding marsh creation 

areas that parallel the northwestern rim of Lake Boudreaux. Land loss in 

this area is due to a combination of natural processes and anthropogenic 

alterations, including sediment starvation from the construction of a dam 

across the head of Bayou Lafourche at Donaldsonville in 1904, subsidence, 

saltwater intrusion, and shoreline exposure to wind-generated wave 

energy, most notably from major hurricanes. 

The project features were designed to reduce shoreline erosion and to 

create additional marsh along the northwest shoreline of Lake Boudreaux 

while protecting shallow aquatic grass beds adjacent to the shoreline. 

Approximately 12,447 linear feet of rock dike, 220 acres of marsh 

creation, one 150 linear foot choke-down structure, and 24,553 linear 

feet of earthen containment were constructed. 

Land/water analysis using aerial imagery indicates that the project has 

been successful at reducing shoreline erosion and increasing land area. 

The shoreline behind the foreshore rock dike slightly prograded one-year 

post-construction at a rate of 0.03 feet/year (0.01 m/year). Based upon 

the 2012 post-construction land/water analysis, there were 484 acres of 

land inside the project boundary, while the creation cells contained a total of 215 acres of land (USGS/NWRC 2013). The decreasing land area 

between 2005 and 2008 is likely due to the impacts from several powerful tropical systems. A marked upward trend occurred when project 

construction was completed in 2009. Since 2011, the land area within the project has been relatively stable.

$301 Million Expended

26 Projects Constructed

5 Projects in Engineering & Design 

2 Projects in Construction

Figure 10. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Terrebonne basin. 

Figure 11. TE-46 land area change analyses.
12 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

BARATARIA BASIN

Barataria Basin is located to the south-southwest of New Orleans. The eastern border 

of the basin is the Mississippi River and the western border is near Bayou LaFourche. 

It contains vast expanses of forested and herbaceous wetlands spanning from saline 

to freshwater environments. 

Barataria Basin has experienced the second greatest land loss of the nine basins in 

coastal Louisiana, with a net loss of approximately 277,000 acres (1,120.0 km2) of 

wetlands since 1932. Rates of wetland loss have ranged from a net loss of approximately 

6,178 acres/year (25.0 km2/year) at the peak of wetland loss rates, to a loss of 210 

acres/year (0.8 km2/year) most recently (Couvillion et al. 2017). Wetland loss within 

the basin is attributed to a combination of natural and anthropogenically-influenced 

factors, including sea level rise, subsidence, shoreline erosion, herbivory, and human 

development, such as channelization and levee construction. Tropical storm impacts 

are also a major contributor to wetland loss in the basin. The wetland impacts of the 

record breaking 2020 season are still under investigation. 

Excluding hydrologic restorations, CWPPRA projects have collectively contributed to 

approximately 7,866 acres (+/- 914 acres) of net land area benefit via new land built 

or land sustained from project inception through 2020. Projects in Barataria consist 

of marsh creation, shoreline protection, and barrier island restoration projects. The 

benefits from these projects have continued to increase through time. This increasing 

benefit is the result of additional project construction and the land-sustaining effects 

of projects such as shoreline protections, which continue to reap rewards (Figure 12).

Land Change Dynamics

The BA-164 project is the third in a series of neighboring marsh 

creation projects that are increasing coastal resiliency in a region 

that has suffered from significant marsh loss. The project is located 

on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the Barataria Basin; it 

is adjacent to the first CWPPRA Bayou Dupont project (BA-39) and 

also synergistic with the nearby hurricane protection levee system. 

Construction of the BA-39 project was completed in May 2010, 

and this project has since demonstrated how Mississippi River 

sediment can be used to create sustainable marsh habitat. The 

BA-164 project has two components, a 144-acre marsh creation 

area that was constructed using sediment dredged from the river 

and 14 terraces totaling 9,679 linear feet that were constructed 

using sediment dredged from within the project area (Figure 13). 

Successful construction of these components and development 

of an emergent, intermediate marsh habitat are the primary goals 

of the project. An additional 128 acres of marsh were constructed 

adjacent to the BA-164 marsh creation area using the Coastal Impact 

Assistance Program and state surplus contingency funds from the Long Distance Sediment Pipeline (LDSP) project (BA-0043-EB), (Figure 13). The LDSP 

was used to deliver sediment dredged from the Mississippi River to the shallow, primarily open water project sites for marsh construction. Construction 

of the marsh creation areas was completed in September 2016, while construction of the terraces was completed in June 2017. 

Intermediate and freshwater emergent marsh and scrub-shrub vegetation species have rapidly colonized the BA-164 marsh creation area. While 

the marsh creation area was allowed to completely self-vegetate, the terraces were planted to enhance early natural stabilization and protection. 

While early in its project life, vegetation data indicate that BA-164 can be expected to continue development into a mature, stable marsh habitat 

that will provide ecological benefits well into the future. 

Bayou Dupont Sediment Delivery 

Marsh Creation #3 and Terracing

(BA-164) Project 

$444 Million Expended

21 Projects Constructed

4 Projects in Engineering & Design

2 Projects in Construction

Figure 12. Cumulative land area change analyses for 

all constructed CWPPRA projects in Barataria basin. 

Figure 13. BA-164 Project Area.

BA-0164 Marsh Creation

BA-0164 Terraces

BA-0039 Marsh Creation

BA-0043 EB Marsh Creation

BA-0043 EB (LDSP)

BA-0164 LDSP Extension

EPA
13 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA

Land Change Dynamics

The Mississippi River Delta Basin is located in the southeast of Louisiana’s 

coastal zone on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico’s continental shelf. Major water 

bodies include the mainstem Mississippi River, South Pass, and Pass a Loutre, all 

of which are directly connected to the Gulf of Mexico. Water and sediment from 

32 states and 2 Canadian Provinces pass through the Mississippi River Delta. Its 

bird’s foot configuration is characteristic of alluvial deposition in deep water. In 

this configuration large volumes of sediment are required to create land area; 

consequently, land is being lost in this delta more rapidly than it is being created. 

However, the basin contains expanses of fresh and intermediate marshes. 

Similar to other hydrologic basins, the Mississippi River Basin has experienced a net 

decrease in wetland area from 1932 to 2016. The total wetland area of the basin has 

decreased by 92,665 acres (375.0 km2). As a percentage of the 1932 area, the basin 

has experienced the greatest percentage decrease in wetland area of approximately 

-55 percent of total area (Couvillion et al. 2017). The Mississippi River Delta Basin 

has experienced a reduction in wetland loss rate since the 1960s, reaching a point 

of wetland gain for portions of the 1990s, only to be followed by a negative trend 

due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Barras, 2006). The major causes of 

land loss in this basin are subsidence and compaction. Unlike other areas of coastal 

Louisiana, the Mississippi River Delta has a relative abundance of inflowing fresh 

water and sediments. Despite the availability of these resources, the overall growth 

of emergent delta has been truncated. In the present position, the Mississippi River 

deposits sediments into much deeper water than has been the case historically. 

These unconsolidated sediments are highly susceptible to compaction, reducing the 

life span of emergent wetlands. 

This basin contains three hydrologic restoration/crevasse management projects and one marsh creation demonstration project. Restoration projects 

in the Mississippi River Delta Basin are thought to have contributed to an estimate of approximately 4,971 acres (+/- 873 acres) of net land area benefit 

collectively via new land built or land sustained from project inception through 2020. Project areas were projected to remain relatively stable in the 

absence of project construction in this basin, due in large part to the sediment deposition provided by the Mississippi River. However, the crevasse 

management projects, which operate in some ways similar to sediment diversions, have led to increasing land building in these areas (Figure 14).

$53.3 Million Expended 4 Projects Constructed

Figure 14. Cumulative land area change analyses for 

all constructed CWPPRA projects in Barataria basin. 

Figure 15. There are four CWPPRA projects in the Mississippi River Delta.

Figure 16. A view towards the southwest at the entrance of the West Bay 

Sediment Diversion (MR-03). A mature network of distributary channels weaves 

through naturally formed and engineered features in West Bay that are no longer 

distinguishable. Equipment staged at the diversion’s entrance prepares to distribute 

dredged material to various parts of the system.
14 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

BRETON SOUND BASIN

Breton Sound Basin is located in the southeast of Louisiana’s coastal zone, east of New 

Orleans. Major water bodies that influence the Breton Sound are the Mississippi River, 

Bayou Terre aux Boeufs, and Lake Lery. The southern portion of the basin is directly 

connected to the Gulf of Mexico. The marshes in the basin transition from saline near the 

gulf, to fresh north of Lake Lery.

Breton Sound Basin experienced a net decrease of 105,267 acres (426.0 km2) in wetland 

area from 1932 to 2016. In the basin, loss rates have increased since the late 1970s, but in 

recent years, the rate of land loss is decreasing (Couvillion et al. 2017). The major causes of 

land loss in this basin are sediment deprivation, saltwater intrusion, and shoreline erosion. 

Hurricane Katrina, 2005, was a major source of land loss in the basin. However, excluding 

those hurricane effects, CWPPRA marsh creation and terracing projects have contributed to 

an estimated net land area benefit of approximately 860 acres (+/- 212 acres) either from 

new land built or land sustained, from project inception through 2020. This benefit is the 

result of two constructed projects, (1) Delta Management at Fort St. Philip (BS-11), which 

consists of terracing and crevasse management and (2) South Lake Lery Shoreline and Marsh 

Restoration (BS-16), a shoreline protection and marsh creation project. While land-area 

benefit was initially slow to be realized after the construction of BS-11 in 2006, the eventual 

land building and sustaining effects of the crevasse management and terraces has led to 

approximately 260 acres of benefit by 2020. The marsh creation benefits of BS-16, beginning 

in 2016, are much more evident as a dramatic spike in land area in Figure 17.

Recent planning efforts to address the basin’s wetland loss include the approval of seven marsh restoration projects that, once built, will create a 

land bridge across the upper basin. While these are still in engineering and design, they demonstrate the synergistic approach to restoration that 

CWPPRA strives to accomplish.

Land Change Dynamics

Completed in 2017, the BS-16 project is located 

within the Breton Sound hydrologic basin. Prior 

to construction, the project area had experienced 

tremendous loss of emergent wetlands, which 

was exacerbated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The 

purpose of the BS-16 project was to restore historic 

marsh conditions by re-establishing the shoreline of 

Lake Lery and by creating new emergent wetlands. 

Mechanically dredged material was excavated from 

near shore water bottoms and used to restore 

35,831 linear feet of the Lake Lery shoreline through 

the creation of a shoreline berm, resulting in the 

creation of approximately 55 acres of wetlands. 

Additionally, hydraulically dredged bottom 

sediments from Lake Lery were pumped into 

shallow open water and fragmented marsh areas 

to create approximately 496 acres of intermediate 

marsh in five marsh creation areas. Additional 

dredged material was deposited in several shallow, 

open water areas behind the marsh creation areas, creating and nourishing additional marsh. Final acreages will be quantified after land/water 

analysis of aerial photography takes place. Immediately following construction, the shoreline berm was planted with smooth cordgrass and California 

bulrush to help prevent erosion. Additional plantings are planned to address ongoing erosion concerns for portions of the project area.

South Lake Lery Shoreline 

and Marsh Restoration 

(BS-16) Project 

$37.7 Million Expended

3 Projects Constructed

7 Projects in Engineering & Design

1 Project in Construction

Figure 17. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Breton Sound basin.

Figure 18. BS-16 Project Area.

USFWS
15 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN

Bayou Bonfouca Marsh Creation 

Project (PO-104)

Constructed in 2017, the PO-104 project is located on the Big Branch 

Marsh National Wildlife Refuge along the northeastern corner of Lake 

Pontchartrain. Prior to construction, the poor condition of this marsh 

was due to a combination of subsidence, hurricane-induced interior 

ponding, and shoreline erosion. Several breaches existed along the 

shoreline and, in places, only a narrow strip of shoreline existed 

between Lake Pontchartrain and the interior ponds. Should shoreline breaching and enlargement of tidal channels have been allowed to extend, high tidal 

energy would have intruded into the interior ponds of the project area. This would have caused the interior marshes to experience accelerated loss rates.

The goal of the PO-104 project was to re-create 

and nourish approximately 639 acres of low 

salinity brackish marsh in open waters adjacent 

to Bayou Bonfouca using sediment dredged 

from Lake Pontchartrain. Four marsh creation 

areas comprising 605 acres were filled with 

hydraulically dredged material. After material 

placement was complete in the marsh creation 

areas, additional dredged material was deposited 

outside of containment, creating an additional 

281 acres of marsh in adjacent open water areas 

and nourishing many more. Final acreages will 

be quantified after land/water analysis of aerial 

photography takes place. In October of 2018, 

native marsh plants were planted to supplement 

the natural colonization of vegetation within 

the marsh creation areas. In late 2021, tidal 

creeks were constructed in the marsh creation 

areas to ensure hydrologic connection with the 

surrounding area, thus improving fish and wildlife 

habitat, and creating access for recreation. 

Land Change Dynamics

The Pontchartrain Basin is an abandoned delta bordered by the Pleistocene Terrace on 

the north and west, Mississippi River on the south and the Chandeleur Islands on the 

east. Three major lakes, Maurepas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne, cover approximately 55 

percent of the basin and are separated by associated land bridges. New Orleans is located 

within the basin adjacent to the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Forested wetlands 

cover the western portion of the basin, transitioning to a gradient of fresh, intermediate, 

brackish, and saline marshes from west to east toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Pontchartrain Basin has experienced a decrease in wetland area, with approximately 

116,634 acres (472 km2) of net loss since 1932 (Couvillion et al. 2017). The rate of land 

change in the Pontchartrain Basin did not change significantly from 1932 to 2016. Wetland 

loss in this basin is attributed to limited riverine input, erosion, and deteriorating land 

bridges on the east and west sides of Lake Pontchartrain. 

Restoration activities in the Pontchartrain Basin include marsh creation, shoreline 

protection, hydrologic restoration and barrier island restoration. Excluding hydrologic 

restoration projects, CWPPRA projects in the Pontchartrain Basin have contributed 

approximately 1,745 acres (+/- 251 acres) of net land area benefit to the landscape 

collectively via new land built or land sustained from project inception through 2020. 

Episodic increases in land area benefit in this basin are evident, as three large marsh 

creation projects were successively constructed. In addition to the land built, each of the 

CWPPRA projects in this basin have contributed to a land sustaining effect, as evident in 

the divergence of the observed land area and without action projections (Figure 19). 

$94 Million Expended

11 Projects Constructed

4 Projects in Engineering & Design

3 Projects In Construction

Figure 19. Cumulative land area change analyses for all 

constructed CWPPRA projects in Pontchartrain basin.

Figure 20. PO-104 Project Area.

USFWS
16 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

The CWPPRA Program encourages the assessment and use of new technology in 

coastal restoration to adapt to changing conditions through demonstration projects. 

As shorelines erode inland, the typical berm setting suited for high exposure to 

wind and waves thins, exposing the more fragile marsh edge to hydrologic forces. 

Shoreline protection becomes more complicated as former marsh platforms have a 

low weight-bearing capacity and require lower-density or pile-supported structures.

LA-16 assessed four commercially available structures appropriate for such shorelines 

along northeast Vermilion Bay. Wave Attenuation Devices (WADs) and Wave Screen 

System (WSS) were porous to allow water and sediment to pass through, while 

Buoyancy Compensated Erosion Control Modular System and EcoSystem Units were 

full water-column wave barriers (McGinnis 2018). While the reference area eroded 51 

feet/year from 2014 to 2017, all structures attenuated waves by at least 60 percent 

and reduced shoreline erosion by at least 70 percent. The more porous structures 

gained soil volume along the shoreline, and the WSS, which was suspended a 

couple feet above the bay bottom, also gained soil volume on the bayside of the 

structure (Figure 21). LA-16 data was prominent in a Louisiana coast-wide synthesis 

of 12 shoreline protection structures that revealed a positive relationship between 

structure porosity up to 35 percent and soil volume change (Shows 2018; Figure 23). 

Approved: 2009

Constructed: February 2014

Non-Rock Alternatives to Shoreline Protection

Demonstration (LA-16)

Figure 23. Aerial imagery during low water levels about 3 years 

after installation of LA-16 structures. Note mudflat formation 

behind the porous WADs and WSS. 

Porosity Coefficient (Unblocked Area/Total Area)

Soil Volume Change Rate

Cubic Yards/Acres/Year

Figure 21. Left. Relationship between structure porosity and soil volume change behind 

shoreline protection structures across coastal Louisiana featuring LA-16 structures 

(adapted with permission from Shows 2019). 

Figure 24. A close up image of each section of structures shows a 

better view of mudflat formation behind the WADs and WSS. 

Figure 22. CWPPRA provides opportunities to assess new wetland restoration techniques. 

Demonstration projects can be proposed at Regional Planning Team Meetings like the one 

pictured here from 2018 in Morgan City.

CPRA

USGS
17 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

COASTWIDE 

In response to the need for enhanced evaluation and 

monitoring of Louisiana’s growing coastal restoration 

program, CWPPRA developed the Coastwide Reference 

Monitoring System-Wetlands (CRMS-Wetlands) to 

provide a pool of reference sites by which to evaluate the 

effectiveness of individual restoration projects, as well as 

the overall program, and to provide a means to assess 

landscape change (Steyer et al., 2003a). The CRMS network 

of sites is comprised of approximately 390 ecological 

monitoring locations distributed across Louisiana’s nine 

coastal basins within and outside of project boundaries 

(Figure 25). The sites encompass a range of ecological 

conditions, including fresh, intermediate, brackish, and 

salt marsh and swamp habitat, and are monitored using 

standardized data collection techniques at fixed sampling 

schedules. The reference network approach enables multiple scale evaluations of project conditions by habitat, basin or coast-wide. Construction 

of most CRMS sites occurred from 2005-2007 with continuous data collection since that time.

Data variables collected at each CRMS site include water level, salinity, sediment accretion, surface elevation change, composition and 

abundance of vegetation, and soil characteristics within a 200 m2 sampling area (Figure 25). The ratio of land to water is determined within 

a larger 1 km2 area encompassing the sampling area to monitor land change through time. After the data undergo quality assurance and 

control procedures, data are approved and entered into the CPRA’s Coastal Information Management System database (https://cims.coastal. 

louisiana.gov/). CRMS data feed into interpretable tools that can be used to assess the condition of individual CRMS sites, restoration projects, 

hydrologic basins, and the entire Louisiana coast. Calculated or derived data (e.g., averages, marsh classification, elevations, elevation 

change rates, and CRMS indices) are hosted on the CRMS website (https://www.lacoast.gov/crms/Home.aspx). Information is analyzed and 

summarized in maps, charts, tables, graphs, and indices, and lastly incorporated into interactive report cards. The CRMS program is as dynamic 

as the coastal habitats it monitors. Continuously evolving, the program continues to develop new products and analysis tools to improve 

project planning and implementation, and to support the evaluation of restoration actions planned and implemented by not only the CWPPRA 

Program but other coastal restoration programs across the State as well. In addition to the integral role CRMS data play for CWPPRA project 

planning and evaluation, CRMS data are leveraged to support adaptive management, future scenario modeling, and scientific research.

Coastwide Reference

Monitoring System (CRMS)

Figure 25. Distribution of CRMS sites and CWPPRA projects across the Louisiana coast.

 CPRA, USGS
18 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

The CWPPRA Program has been actively rebuilding wetlands and helping address coastal land loss for over 30 years. Projects that have rebuilt the 

barrier islands, improved coastal and interior marshes, and restored natural hydrologic regimes have all improved the coastal landscape.

Capitalizing on CWPPRA’s public planning process, which includes local government and citizen contribution to project nomination and development, 

several comprehensive restoration plans have been developed and widely accepted. CWPPRA has laid the foundation on which subsequent restoration 

initiatives have been modeled. In fact, several projects that have been designed through CWPPRA have been adopted and constructed through these 

other programs and initiatives. This type of synergy between funding vehicles supports efficiencies in project implementation.

A diverse, interdisciplinary team of 

academics, scientists, and engineers 

collects and analyzes data from 

CWPPRA projects using the CRMS 

and project-specific monitoring to 

evaluate the ecologic response from 

within the project footprint to the 

entire ecosystem. This helps guide 

the program to develop projects 

with a science-driven process. Using 

technological advances, the program 

supports successful restoration while 

monitoring and evaluating the success 

of projects to produce low cost 

restoration techniques for realistic 

future application.

CWPPRA‘s funding source, the Sport Fish 

Restoration and Boating Safety Trust 

Fund, authorized through Fiscal Year 

2021 by the Fixing America’s Surface 

Transportation Act of 2015, is supported 

by excise taxes on fishing equipment, and 

small engine and motorboat fuel taxes. 

The fund contributes 18.673 percent 

of its annual revenues to CWPPRA 

appropriations, 70 percent of which 

supports the Louisiana CWPPRA Program. 

With predictable funding through the 

Federal Sport Fish and Boating Safety 

Trust Fund and the experienced interagency team of coastal scientists and engineers, CWPPRA is, and will continue to be, uniquely able to quickly construct 

cost effective priority projects, typically within 3 to 5 years.

With a project selection process that funnels new projects into planning, engineering and design, and construction phases every year, the restoration 

of coastal Louisiana through the CWPPRA Program is only limited by funding. Shovel-ready projects are always in the queue and additional funding 

could be executed quickly to advance project implementation. 

Overall, CWPPRA is meeting an otherwise unfilled niche by building near-term projects in acute, and often highly strategic, areas of need. This 

continues to be CWPPRA’s greatest asset and contribution to turning the tide on Louisiana’s land loss. 

Conclusion

RESTORING COASTAL LOUISIANA SINCE 1990

 USGS
19 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

References

Barras, J.A., 2006, Land area change in coastal Louisiana after the 2005 hurricanes—A series of 

three maps: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006–1274

Barrilleaux, T. and M. Guidry. 2010. 2010 Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Report 

for Freshwater Bayou Canal Bank Stabilization (ME-13), Coastal Protection and Restoration 

Authority of Louisiana, Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, Lafayette, Louisiana. 22pp.

Carle, M. V., C. E. Sasser, and H. H. Roberts. 2015. Accretion and Vegetation Community 

Change in the Wax Lake Delta Following the Historic 2011 Mississippi River Flood. Journal of 

Coastal Research 39: 406–422

Couvillion, B.R., Beck, Holly, Schoolmaster, Donald, and Fischer, Michelle, 2017, Land area 

change in coastal Louisiana 1932 to 2016: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 

3381, 16 p. pamphlet, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3381

Curole, G. P. and B. J. Hartman. 2018a. 2018 Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Report 

for Atchafalaya Sediment Delivery (AT-02), Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of 

Louisiana, Thibodaux, Louisiana. 46 pp.

Curole, G. P. and B. J. Hartman. 2018b. 2018 Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring 

Report for Big Island Mining (AT-03), Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, 

Thibodaux, Louisiana. 46 pp.

Falcini, F., N. S. Khan, L. Macelloni, B. P. Horton, C. B. Lutken, K. L. McKee, R. Santoleri, S. 

Colella, C. Li, G. Volpe, M. D'emidio, A. Salusti, and D. J. Jerolmack. 2012. Linking the Historic 

2011 Mississippi River Flood to Coastal Wetland Sedimentation. Nature Geoscience 5 (11): 

803-807.

Gasparini, N. M., and B. Yuill. 2020. High Water: Prolonged Flooding on the Deltaic Mississippi 

River. Eos 101: 14 pp., https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EO141465.

Lear, E. J., G. Curole, A. Ledet and J. Curole 2013. Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring 

Report for West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation (TE-46), Coastal 

Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, Thibodaux, Louisiana 45 pp. and 

Appendices.

McGinnis, II, T. E. 2018. 2018 Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Report for Non-rock 

Alternatives to Shoreline Protection Demonstration Project (LA-0016): Final Closeout Report. 

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana; Lafayette, Louisiana. 41 pp plus 

Appendices.

Miller, M. and Guidry, M. 2016. 2016 Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Report 

for Clear Maris Shoreline Protection (CS-22), Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, 

Lafayette, Louisiana. 25pp.

Mouledous, M, Wood, W.B. and Sharp, L.A. 2016. 2016 Basin Summary Report for the 

Mermentau Basin, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, Lafayette, 

Louisiana. 57 pp. https://cims.coastal.louisiana.gov/RecordDetail.aspx?Root=0&sid=21149

National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 1998. Little Vermilion Bay Sediment Trapping Project, 

Vermilion Parish, La. Environmental Assessment. U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC), 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 36 pp.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and 

Climate Disasters (2021). https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/, DOI: 10.25921/stkw-7w73.

NOAA Office for Coastal Management. Fast Facts Louisiana (2018). https://coast.noaa.gov/

states/louisiana.html.

Shows, H. 2019. Living Shorelines as Alternative Methods of Shoreline Protection. Louisiana 

State University Master’s Thesis: 4954. https//digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_

theses/4954.

U. S. Geological Survey/National Wetland Research Center Coastal Restoration Field Station and 

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. 2013. West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection 

Project 2012 Land-Water Classification (USGS-NWRC 2013-02-006). 

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Vermilion Bay Sediment Trapping (TV-12), Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of 

Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana. 45pp and Appendices. 
20 The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

Appendices
Appendix 1. Useful Links

http://www.lacoast.gov/new/Projects/List.aspx

Complete list of authorized projects under the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 

Restoration Act (CWPPRA) since its implementation in 1990

https://www.lacoast.gov/crms/Home.aspx

Monitoring data at 390 Coastwide Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) sites 

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/CWPPRA/Meeting-Documents/

CWPPRA Public Meeting Documents 

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/CWPPRA/Priority-Project-Lists/

CWPPRA Priority Project List Documents and Process

https://www.lacoast.gov/calendar/

CWPPRA Meeting Calendar

http://coastal.la.gov/our-plan/2017-coastal-master-plan/

2017 Coastal Master Plan

https://www.fws.gov/southeast/lafayette; http://www.fws.gov/coastal/CoastalGrants/

U.S. Department of the Interior (represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/la/home/

U.S. Department of Agriculture (represented by the Natural Resources Conservation Service) 

http://habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/index.html

U.S. Department of Commerce (represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Marine Fisheries Service)

https://www.epa.gov/la/water-louisiana

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (represented by the Water Quality Protection Division of EPA Region 6)

http://www.coastal.la.gov/

 Louisiana’s Governor’s Office (represented by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Chairman) 

http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/CWPPRA

 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (represented by the New Orleans District)

Task Force Member Agencies:
Appendix 2. 

The 2021 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress

on the Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, 

Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Projects