C

The 2009 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the Effectiveness 

of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act Projects

 oastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

 and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)
 oastal Wetlands Planning, Protection C and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)

The 2009 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress 

on the Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, 

Protection and Restoration Act Projects

Suggested Citation

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force. 2010. The 2009 Evaluation 

Report to the U.S. Congress on the Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 

Restoration Act Projects.

Map images provided by the USGS National Wetlands Research Center. Document direction and 

review provided by the 2009 CWPPRA Report to Congress Workgroup.
Documentation

This report is submitted by the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task Force in accordance with the 

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), Title III of Public Law 101–646, commonly referred 

to as the “Breaux Act.” This report fulfills the Breaux Act mandate, which requires a report to the U.S. Congress every 3 years 

on the effectiveness of Louisiana’s coastal wetland restoration projects.

CWPPRA Task Force Member Agencies

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (represented by the New Orleans District): contact 504–862–2204 or at http://www.mvn.usace.

army.mil/pd/cwppra_mission.htm

• U.S. Department of the Interior (represented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service): contact 337–291–3100 or at http://www.

fws.gov/coastal/CoastalGrants/

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (represented by the Natural Resources Conservation Service): contact 318–473–7751 or at 

http://www.la.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cwppra/index.html

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

Fisheries Service): contact 225–389–0508 or at http://habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/index.html

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

214–665–7275 or at http://www.epa.gov/region06/6wq/at/cwppra.htm

• Louisiana’s Governor’s Office (represented by the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities): contact 225–342–3968 or at 

http://www.goca.state.la.us/

Web sites

LaCoast, the official CWPPRA Web site, has a complete project listing and technical documents at http://www.lacoast.gov.

The CWPPRA program is administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A CWPPRA organizational chart, standard 

operating procedures, annual Priority Project List (PPL) reports, and administrative proceedings documentation are publicly 

available on the New Orleans District Web site at http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pd/cwppra_mission.htm.

Acknowledgments

The CWPPRA Task Force wishes to thank Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal and the State and Federal Louisiana 

Delegations for their support of this crucial program.

ii
Contents

iii

Introduction 1

Storm Protection 2

Energy Infrastructure 2

Navigation Infrastructure 2

Commercial Fishing and Recreational Activites 2

Habitats 2

Coastal Communities 3

CWPPRA Impact in Louisiana 4

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration

 Task Force 6

CWPPRA Project Planning and Implementation 8

Planning and Selection of Annual Priority Project Lists 8

CWPPRA Project Implementation 8

CWPPRA Projects Approved Since the 2006 Report to Congress 10

Region 1 15

Region 2 21

Region 3 31

Region 4 39

Demonstration Projects 47

Appendix 1 55

Appendix 2 56

Executive Summary iv

CWPPRA Effectiveness and Progress 13

Conclusion 50

References 52
xecutive ESummary:

iv

Louisiana’s coastal zone contains 45 percent of all intertidal coastal marshes in the lower 48 States; 

however, it is suffering 80 percent of the entire Nation’s coastal wetland loss. Prior to the 1900s, Louisiana’s 

coastal area had an overall net gain of wetlands. Since then, Louisiana has lost about one million acres of 

coastal wetlands, an area greater than 25 times the size of Washington, D.C. This loss is due to a complex 

combination of natural and human-induced factors, including fresh water and sediment deprivation, 

subsidence, salt water intrusion, shoreline erosion, navigation channels, oil and gas production, herbivory, 

invasive species, and other pressures from human-related land uses.

Recognizing the severe coastal land loss crisis, as well as the significant economic dependency of the State 

and the Nation on the Louisiana coastal zone, Congress established the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)1

 in 1990 to provide for the long-term conservation of Louisiana’s coastal 

wetlands. At the direction of the CWPPRA Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration Task 

Force (hereafter referred to as the Task Force), each year a list of coastal wetland restoration projects is 

developed and funded for the design and construction of projects that benefit Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing 

wetlands and dependent fish and wildlife populations. In accordance with CWPPRA,2

 this report fulfills the 

requirement defined by Congress to provide a scientific evaluation every 3 years on the effectiveness of these 

coastal wetland restoration projects.

Since its inception, CWPPRA has been the primary mechanism for implementing coastal wetland protection 

and restoration projects in Louisiana because of the consistent long-term funding stream authorized by 

Congress. The CWPPRA program has proven to be very effective and efficient in designing and implementing 

small- to medium-scale projects by using a bottom-up and collaborative multiagency approach that closely 

The 2009 Evaluation Report to the U.S. Congress on the 

Effectiveness of Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act Projects

1

 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, Public Law 101–646, Title III.

2

 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act, Section 303 (b) (7).
v

engages the public, local governments, academics, and other important stakeholders. After nearly 20 years 

of project implementation, the Task Force has led the way in protecting Louisiana’s shorelines, restoring 

marshes and barrier islands, reintroducing freshwater and sediment, and reducing saltwater intrusion, as well 

as testing and proving new restoration technologies and monitoring coastwide land loss and gain. Currently, 

there are 144 ongoing coastal wetland protection and restoration projects on 19 Priority Project Lists (PPLs) 

that are projected to yield a total net benefit of 107,861 acres of coastal wetlands and related habitats. This 

estimate is conservative in that this figure does not capture the significant acreages of wetlands and associated 

open water habitats that are also enhanced by these projects.

As evidenced by these projects, CWPPRA is a program of action that is restoring areas of critical need. 

On average, a CWPPRA project can go from concept to construction in 3–5 years. This is largely a 

result of the congressional authority that has been delegated to the Task Force to both authorize and fund 

restoration projects. Furthermore, the project selection process quickly identifies projects that have the 

most cost effectiveness, construction feasibility, and public support, which ultimately streamlines project 

implementation. Given the significant need for coastal wetland restoration in Louisiana, the project selection 

process often generates more construction-ready projects than the program has funding in hand to build. 

Although Congress in 2004 reauthorized CWPPRA through 2019, the program is expected to reach its 

capacity to authorize new projects within the next few years. This is due to the current commitment of 

projected future funding that will be needed to construct existing authorized projects and for future operations 

and maintenance of constructed projects. Even though CWPPRA has received nearly $80 million each year 

over the last few years, there continues to be a backlog of construction-ready projects. While this has created 

a very efficient opportunity for other programs with readily available funds to step in and quickly build some 

of these projects, there are still coastal restoration needs that are not being addressed because of limited 

funding streams. To offset part of this deficiency, the program is streamlining administrative costs to put as 

much funding on the ground as possible and to leverage Federal resources when possible for the efficient 

implementation of coastal restoration.

The primary objective of the CWPPRA program is to build restoration projects by using techniques that stem 

from decades of sophisticated wetland science. The types of techniques used in various CWPPRA projects 

depend on the problems being addressed and other site-specific factors. These factors are typically evaluated 

during a robust period of interagency biological and engineering review prior to committing construction 

funds. Because of this, the project selection process is divided into two phases: Phase 1 includes engineering 

and design, and Phase 2 includes construction and long-term monitoring, operation, and maintenance.

The Task Force authorized 16 new projects between 2006 and 2009 for Phase 1—Engineering and Design, 

which if constructed would result in an estimated net benefit of 7,875 acres of wetlands. In this same period, 

the Task Force also authorized Phase 2—Construction of 12 projects that are expected to result in an 

estimated net benefit of 3,055 acres of wetlands. These 12 proposed construction projects include two 

barrier island projects, six marsh creation projects, three shoreline protection projects, and one freshwater 

diversion project.

The Louisiana coast is separated into four ecologic regions for the purpose of project planning. Below is the 

list of the projects that were authorized to begin Phase 2—Construction during this reporting period.

• Region 1: Lake Borgne Shoreline Protection Project (PO-30) and Goose Point/Point Platte Marsh 

Creation Project (PO-33), which will have a combined net benefit of 601 acres of wetlands.

• Region 2: Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier Shoreline Restoration Project (BA-35), 

Dedicated Dredging on the Barataria Basin Landbridge Project (BA-36), Mississippi River Sediment 
Delivery System – Bayou Dupont (BA-39), and South Shore of the Pen Shoreline 

Protection and Marsh Creation (BA-41), which will have a combined net benefit of 

1,489 acres of wetlands.

• Region 3: West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation Project 

(TE-46), South Lake De Cade Freshwater Introduction (TE-39), Whiskey Island Back 

Barrier Marsh Creation Project (TE-50), and the East Marsh Island Marsh Creation 

(TV-21), which will have a combined net benefit of 920 acres of wetlands.

• Region 4: Grand Lake Shoreline Protection –Tebo Point (ME-21a), which will have a 

net benefit of 45 acres of wetlands.

Although projects are authorized and constructed individually, they often work 

synergistically with one another. For example, the barrier island projects are collectively 

rebuilding Louisiana’s first line of defense that can extend ecosystem benefits beyond just 

the sum of their individual projects. This type of synergy is also seen within the Barataria 

Basin, where constructed projects are working together to restore the structural integrity of 

a critical landform that is undergoing high land loss rates. These projects are demonstrating 

how small- to mid-scale projects are working collectively to generate large-scale results.

Although most of the CWPPRA projects are located within one of the four specific regions, 

the Task Force also authorized four coastwide demonstration projects between 2006 

and 2009. Demonstration projects use technologies or methods that have not been fully 

developed for coastal restoration in Louisiana. These coastwide demonstration projects 

include Enhancement of Barrier Island Vegetation Demonstration (TE-53), Non-Rock 

Alternatives to Shoreline Protection Demonstration (LA-16), Sediment Containment 

System for Marsh Creation Demonstration (LA-09), and Bio-Engineered Oyster Reef 

Demonstration (LA-08).

vi
The traditional image of Louisiana’s wetlands makes 

for a striking visual. Photographs often depict a grassy 

expanse of vegetation with trawling shrimp boats and 

sea birds dotting the horizon. The image is accurate, 

but its serenity can be misleading. Louisiana’s coastal 

zone contains 45 percent of all intertidal coastal marshes 

in the lower forty-eight States, but it is suffering 80 

percent of the entire Nation’s annual coastal wetland 

loss. Since the 1930s, coastal Louisiana has lost over 

1,875 square miles, an area more than 25 times larger 

than Washington, D.C. As recently as the year 2000, 

the annual loss rate was quantified as 24 square miles 

per year (Barras and others, 2003). Although the causes 

are a combination of complex human-induced and 

natural factors, this rate of loss is largely attributable 

to channelization of the Mississippi River for flood 

protection, natural subsidence, petroleum exploration 

and navigation channels, storms, and pressures from 

human-related land uses. As a result, the wetlands are 

rapidly converting to open water.

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 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) in 1990 (Public Law 

101–646, Title III). Over these last two decades, it has 

been clearly established and well documented that there 

is an imminent need to restore and protect Louisiana’s 

coastal wetlands in order to sustain the ecological and 

economic health of the Louisiana coastal zone.

The Louisiana wetlands provide a variety of benefits 

that serve the Nation across an array of economic 

sectors. Because of this, as detailed on the following 

pages, the land loss crisis in Louisiana is considered a 

matter of national concern.

Introduction
Storm Protection

Louisiana is one of the most hurricane-prone 

regions in the United States. The U.S. Geological 

Survey estimated that Hurricanes Katrina and 

Rita (2005) alone accounted for converting 217 

square miles (138,880 acres) of coastal marsh 

to open water along the Louisiana coast (Barras, 

2006). Wetlands provide a natural buffer during 

storms by absorbing and reducing surging water. 

Resio and Westerink (2008) created a stormsurge simulation by using data from Hurricane 

Rita in southwestern Louisiana and estimated 

that healthy wetlands could reduce storm surge 

by 1 foot per 2.1–3.6 miles of inland penetration. 

In Louisiana’s flat, low-lying coastal areas, even 

small reductions in storm surge could mean the 

difference between an area that survives a storm 

and one that suffers damage.

Coastal wetlands also serve as a buffer to 

protect levees that would otherwise be subjected 

to bay and gulf wave energy that would 

continually wash up on those levees. Wetlands 

provide a buffer that can absorb wave energy 

before it is at the levee system and within closer 

proximity to the communities the levees are 

intended to protect.

Energy Infrastructure

More than 80% of the Nation’s offshore oil 

and gas is produced off the Louisiana coast, 

and 25% of the Nation’s foreign and domestic 

oil comes ashore via coastal waterways of the 

State.1

 The Louisiana coastal zone also contains 

the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port; more than 

43,000 oil and gas wells; two U.S. Strategic 

Petroleum Reserve stockpile sites; and the 

Henry Hub, one of the Nation’s major natural 

gas distribution centers. This infrastructure and 

the pipelines that network through the coastal 

zone depend on the wetlands that surround them 

for physical support and buffering from storms. 

As wetlands wash away, pipelines and energy 

facilities become increasingly exposed to harsh 

open water environments.

1

 http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/background.

Navigation Infrastructure

The coast of Louisiana is a national hub for 

navigation. Nearly 3,000 miles of deep-draft 

and shallow-draft channels are located in the 

State’s wetlands (Waldemar S. Nelson and 

Company, Inc., 2002). In 2005, Louisiana’s 

coastal wetlands provided storm protection for 

ports that carried 457 million tons of waterborne 

commerce, accounting for 18% of all waterborne 

commerce in the United States2

 (U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, 2007). As well, 5 of the top 

15 largest ports in the United States are located 

in Louisiana. This infrastructure calls the 

Louisiana wetlands home, and vessels are 

offered safe navigation by the coastal wetlands 

that surround the extensive ports and channels 

necessary to provide goods and services 

throughout the Nation.

Commercial Fishing and 

Recreational Activities

Louisiana contributes about 28% of the total 

volume of U.S. fisheries, with a value of nearly 

$1 billion annually. The catch is comparable 

to that of the entire Atlantic seaboard and is 

triple that of the other Gulf Coast States. The 

annual shrimp and oyster harvest in Louisiana 

supplies 35%–40% of the Nation’s needs. 

These economically important species depend 

on Louisiana’s wetlands for all or part of their 

life history, which is a factor in their relative 

abundance in the State. As wetlands deteriorate, 

critical nursery habitat is lost; over time, these 

losses will affect fish populations.

Habitats

Louisiana’s wetlands provide habitats for 

thousands of plant and animal species. Louisiana 

coastal marshes are of great importance to 

migratory waterfowl and provide winter habitat 

for more than two-thirds of the entire Mississippi 

Flyway waterfowl population (Bellrose and 

Trudeau, 1988). Coastal Louisiana also has 

a very diverse and productive invertebrate 

population, as well as numerous species of 

2

 http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/coastalfacts.asp.

2 
 3

mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. 

Louisiana’s wetlands also provide nursery and 

foraging grounds for numerous recreational 

and commercially important species that are 

significant economic drivers for the State.

Coastal Communities

Over 2 million residents—more than 47% of the 

State’s population according to the 2007 U.S. 

Census estimate—live in Louisiana’s coastal 

parishes (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Many 

of these people depend on coastal wetlands, 

waterways, and other natural resources to support 

their traditional ways of life and economic 

livelihood. The loss of wetlands results in a 

reduction in the capacity to generate a living 

from these natural resources. In addition, 

numerous indigenous cultures and tribal 

populations are at risk of being permanently 

dispersed or relocated as their communities are 

lost to coastal land loss. The permanent loss to 

the human fabric that makes up south Louisiana 

and is enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year 

is beyond enumeration. As part of CWPPRA, 

Congress established and directed the Louisiana 

Coastal Wetlands Conservation and Restoration 

Task Force (hereafter referred to as the “Task 

Force”) to prepare, annually update, and 

implement a list of coastal wetland restoration 

projects in Louisiana to provide for the long-term 

conservation of such wetlands and dependent fish 

and wildlife populations. In addition, Congress 

directed the Task Force to provide a scientific 

evaluation every 3 years on the effectiveness of 

the projects as required by Section 303 (b) (7) of 

CWPPRA. The purpose of this report is to meet 

this requirement. The following sections provide 

an overview of the program and organizational 

structure, briefing on projects selected since 

2006, effectiveness of the program to date, and 

the relevancy of CWPPRA to address land loss in 

Louisiana’s coastal wetlands.

Five of the 

top ports in 

the United 

States are 

located in 

Louisiana, 

including 

Port 

Fourchon.
4 

Hopedale 

Hydrologic 

Restoration 

Project.

4 

Since its inception, CWPPRA has 

been the primary mechanism for 

implementing coastal wetland 

protection and restoration projects in 

Louisiana as a result of the consistent 

long-term funding stream authorized 

by Congress. The CWPPRA program 

has proven to be very effective 

and efficient in designing and 

implementing small- to medium-scale 

projects by using a bottom-up and 

collaborative multiagency approach 

that closely engages the public, local 

governments, academics, and other 

important stakeholders. After nearly 20 

years of putting projects on the ground, 

the CWPPRA program continues to be 

the most effective coastal restoration 

program in Louisiana and leads 

the way in protecting shorelines, 

restoring marshes and barrier islands, 

reintroducing freshwater and sediment, 

and reducing saltwater intrusion, 

as well as testing and proving new 

restoration technologies, monitoring 

coastwide land loss and gain, and 

combating invasive species (see 

CWPPRA project types in appendix 1).

Through the CWPPRA program, 

Louisiana has received Federal funding 

each year for coastal restoration 

projects since the creation of the 

program. In recent years, the program 

has received nearly $80 million 

annually, which has been matched with 

a 15% State contribution. Currently, 

there are 144 active coastal protection 

and restoration projects that are 

projected to yield a total net benefit 

of 107,861 acres of coastal wetlands 

and related habitats. In addition to 

the projected net acres of wetlands, 

significant acreages of wetlands 

and associated open water habitats 

are enhanced by these CWPPRA 

projects. There are also four coastwide 

programmatic projects that are funded 

through CWPPRA that support broadscale efforts such as comprehensive 

coastwide monitoring, conservation 

planning, nutria control, and storm 

recovery assessments.

On average, a CWPPRA project can 

go from concept to construction in 

3–5 years. This ability is largely a 

result of the congressional authority 

that has been delegated to the Task 

Force to both authorize and fund 

restoration projects without having to 

seek additional authorization, which 

otherwise could delay projects for 

many years. Furthermore, the project 

selection process quickly culls projects 

that have the most cost effectiveness, 

construction feasibility, and public 

support, which ultimately streamlines 

project implementation. Additionally, 

the interagency model of CWPPRA 

provides for multiple agencies to have 

a divide and conquer approach, which 

C WPPRA Impact in Louisiana
5

distributes the project load and can also lead to 

faster construction.

Given the limited funding for CWPPRA, the 

project selection process also generates more 

construction-ready projects than the program 

can afford to build. This is compounded 

by the fact that, although Congress in 2004 

reauthorized CWPPRA through 2019, the 

program is expected to reach its capacity to 

authorize new projects within the next few 

years. This is due to the current obligation of 

future funding needed to construct existing 

authorized projects and to fund operations 

and maintenance of all constructed projects. 

The backlog of construction-ready projects 

developed through the CWPPRA program 

has provided opportunities to transfer some 

projects to other funding authorities for rapid 

implementation. This synergy created between 

authorities stretches restoration dollars, 

reduces redundancy, and implements projects 

faster since CWPPRA has already designed, 

prioritized, and publicly vetted all of its 

projects.

Notwithstanding the significant ecologic, 

economic, and political changes that have 

occurred in south Louisiana since Hurricane 

Katrina, CWPPRA has continued to stay the 

course and effectively serve as the largest 

coastal wetlands restoration program in 

the State’s history in terms of total projects 

constructed. The present-day relevance of 

CWPPRA lies in its unique ability to construct 

near-term, small- to mid-scale projects that 

meet local immediate restoration needs and 

its ability to work seamlessly with other 

authorities to implement ecosystem-level 

restoration. Projects constructed through 

CWPPRA are either complementary to projects 

being planned through other authorities or are 

addressing land loss in critical areas that have 

no other resources for restoration.

Pecan Island 

Terracing 

Project. 
6 

6 

 ouisiana Coastal Wetlands L

 Conservation and Restoration Task Force

Technical 

Committee

Public Outreach 

Committee

Planning & Evaluation 

Subcommittee 

Environmental 

Workgroup

Economic 

Workgroup

Engineering 

Workgroup

Monitoring 

Workgroup

Academic Advisory

Workgroup

Technical Advisory

 Workgroup

Task Force

Figure 1. Organization chart for the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force. 

The main governance of the CWPPRA program 

is the congressionally created Task Force. 

Chaired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

the Task Force is composed of members 

from four other Federal agencies: the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, and the National Marine 

Fisheries Service. In addition, the State of 

Louisiana, Governor’s Office of Coastal 

Activities sits on the Task Force and represents 

the local sponsor to the program.

The Task Force effectively implements the 

CWPPRA program with the assistance of 

subordinate committees and workgroups (see 

figure 1) and by closely engaging the public. 

The Technical Committee reports and makes 

recommendations directly to the Task Force 

on issues, policies, and procedures related to 

executing the CWPPRA program and its projects. 

The Task Force conducts general planning 

activities and makes program and project funding 

decisions in at least three public meetings held 

throughout the year.
7

Terns visit 

a newly 

constructed 

terrace.
Closeup marsh 

planting.

The Task Force authorizes projects 

to be implemented under the 

CWPPRA program by using a 

systematic approach that starts with 

an annual planning cycle to select 

new projects. All projects undergo 

detailed engineering and design before 

they get final approval to proceed to 

construction and long-term operations, 

maintenance, and monitoring.

Planning and Selection 

of Annual Priority 

Project Lists

In January of each year, a new 

Priority Project List (PPL) selection 

process begins with solicitation to the 

CWPPRA agencies, the public, parish 

governments, and other stakeholders 

to propose new projects to be 

implemented through the CWPPRA 

program (figure 2). Often, local 

governments and citizens coordinate 

with the CWPPRA agencies to develop 

project concepts. Proposed project 

ideas are presented during four public 

meetings that are held across the coast. 

The CWPPRA Planning and Evaluation 

Subcommittee and local parishes select 

a list of restoration project nominees 

and demonstration project nominees 

from all of the proposed projects. 

The CWPPRA Environmental and 

Engineering Workgroups screen the 

list of nominees to ensure that they are 

consistent with established regional 

strategies. The Technical Committee 

selects candidate projects from the 

nominee list to be further developed 

and evaluated for cost effectiveness.

The candidate project evaluations 

include site visits by CWPPRA 

workgroups and agency staff and 

sometimes landowners, land managers, 

and project proponents. Following 

site visits, the CWPPRA workgroups 

coordinate with the USGS to determine 

land loss rates and define a project 

area for each project. The CWPPRA 

Environmental Workgroup and 

Academic Advisory Group use Wetland 

Value Assessment (WVA) models to 

predict the net wetland benefits and 

habitat value that would result in the 

future with and without the project over 

a 20-year period of analysis. Economic 

analyses are conducted to determine 

the total cost to implement, operate, 

maintain, and monitor each project for 

20 years.

The Task Force uses cost effectiveness 

as the primary metric to determine 

which projects will be selected for 

engineering, design, and ultimately 

construction. Cost effectiveness is 

the total cost to implement, operate, 

maintain, and monitor a project over 

20 years compared to the net wetland 

acres attributed to the project. Wetland 

benefits are also captured by using 

Habitat Suitability Indices, which look 

at both habitat quantity (expressed in 

acres) and habitat quality. The indices 

yield a metric of habitat units. Cost 

effectiveness can then be measured by 

comparing the average annual habitat 

units (AAHUs) projected for a project 

related to project cost.

After the candidate project evaluations 

are summarized and completed, the 

results are presented at public meetings 

later in the year. The Task Force 

accepts and fully considers public 

comments on the candidate projects 

before making a final decision on 

which projects to select. Lead Federal 

agencies are subsequently assigned 

to sponsor the projects through 

construction. An annual report is 

generated for each PPL, detailing the 

nominated projects, the evaluation of 

candidate projects, and the final list of 

selected projects.

CWPPRA Project 

Implementation

Projects on PPLs 1 through 8 were fully 

funded up front for implementation and 

20 years of operations, maintenance, 

and monitoring; however, this funding 

method unnecessarily tied up available 

funds and began to limit the CWPPRA 

program’s ability to implement new 

projects each year. Beginning with PPL 

9, the Task Force has implemented cash 

flow management procedures to fund 

projects in two phases. The Task Force 

initially funds all Phase 1 activities, 

which include engineering and design. 

Once a project completes Phase 1, 

Phase 2 (construction, operation, 

maintenance, and monitoring) funding 

must be requested from the Task Force. 

Long-term operations, maintenance, 

and monitoring funds are approved 

annually so that all projects carry 3 

years of incremental funding through 

the 20-year project life.

8 

C WPPRA Project Planning and Implementation
Figure 2. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18 and Coast 2050 Regions.

Region 4

Region 3 Region 2

Region 1

Image Source:

2009 Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery

Band 5 Mosaic

Produced by:

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

National Wetlands Research Center

Coastal Restoration Field Station

Baton Rouge, La.

Map ID: USGS-NWRC 2010-11-0027

Map Date: March 09, 2010

Data accurate as of March 08, 2010

Gulf of

Mexico

C

oastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (C

W

P

P

R

A) Priority

Project Lists 1-18

1:1,275,000

10 0 10 20

Miles

10 0 10 20

Kilometers

Region Boundary

PPL 17

PPL 3 PPL 18

CWPPRA Project Boundaries

PPL 5

PPL 4PPL 2PPL 1 PPL 6

PPL 7PPL 8PPL 9PPL 10

PPL 11PPL 12PPL 13PPL 14

PPL 15

PPL 16
10 

Table 1. CWPPRA projects authorized between 2006 and 2009 for Phase 1.

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 1—Engineering and Design]

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date Authorized

Total Net Acres 

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Region

PROJECTS APPROVED FOR PHASE 1—Engineering and Design

Feb. 2006 through Jan. 2009 (PPL 15 through PPL 18)

BS-13 15 Bayou Lamoque FW Divr [TRANSFER - Oct 

2007] 8-Feb-06 620 2 

BA-42 15 Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 8-Feb-06 447 2 

MR-15 15 Venice Ponds Marsh Creation and Crevasses 8-Feb-06 511 2 

ME-23 15 South Pecan Island Freshwater Introduction 8-Feb-06 98 4 

PO-34 16 Alligator Bend Marsh Restoration and 

Shoreline Protection 18-Oct-06 127 1 

ME-24 16 Southwest Louisiana Gulf Shoreline Nourishment 

and Protection 18-Oct-06 888 4 

TE-51 16 Madison Bay Marsh Creation and Terracing 18-Oct-06 372 3 

TE-52 16 West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration 18-Oct-06 305 3 

BS-15 17 Bohemia Mississippi River Reintroduction 25-Oct-07 637 2 

BS-16 17 Caernarvon Outfall Management/Lake Lery 

Shoreline Restoration 25-Oct-07 652 2 

BA-47 17 West Pointe a la Hache Marsh Creation 25-Oct-07 203 2 

BA-48 17 Bayou Dupont Marsh and Ridge Creation 25-Oct-07 187 2 

BS-18 18 Bertrandville Siphon 21-Jan-09 1,613 2 

TE-66 18 Central Terrebonne Freshwater Enhancement 21-Jan-09 456 3 

CS-49 18 Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction 21-Jan-09 473 4 

BA-68 18 Grand Liard Marsh and Ridge Restoration 21-Jan-09 286 2 

Total = 16 Projects Total Net Acres = 7,875 

10 

 WPPRA Projects Approved Since C the 2006 Report to Congress

The Task Force authorized a total of 16 new 

projects between 2006 and 2009 for Phase 1—

Engineering and Design, which if constructed 

would result in an estimated net benefit of 7,875 

acres of wetlands (table 1).
11 11

In this same period, the Task Force also authorized

Phase 2—Construction of 12 projects that are 

expected to result in an estimated net benefit of 3,055 

acres of wetlands (table 2). These12 projects include 

two barrier island projects, six marsh creation projects, 

three shoreline protection projects, and one freshwater 

diversion. In addition, a list of each project funded by 

the program to date is provided in appendix 2.

Table 2. CWPPRA projects authorized between 2006 and 2009 for Phase 2.

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 2—Construction]

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date 

Authorized

Total Net Acres

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Region

PROJECTS APPROVED FOR PHASE 2—Construction

Feb. 2006 through Jan. 2009

PO-30 10 Lake Borgne Shoreline Protection 8-Feb-06 165 1 

BA-35 11 Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier 

Shoreline Restoration 8-Feb-06 263 2 

TE-46 11 West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection and 

Marsh Creation 8-Feb-06 277 3 

PO-33 13 Goose Point/Pointe Platte Marsh Creation 15-Feb-07 436 1 

BA-36 11 Dedicated Dredging on the Barataria Basin Landbridge 15-Feb-07 242 2 

ME-21a 11 Grand Lake Shoreline Protection - Tebo Point 15-Feb-07 45 4 

BA-39 12 Mississippi River Sediment Delivery System - 

Bayou Dupont 13-Feb-08 326 2 

BA-41 14 South Shore of the Pen Shoreline Protection and 

Marsh Creation 13-Feb-08 211 2 

TE-39 9 South Lake De Cade Freshwater Introduction 13-Feb-08 202 3 

TE-50 13 Whiskey Island Backbarrier Marsh Creation 13-Feb-08 272 3 

BA-42 15 Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 21-Jan-09 447 2 

TV-21 14 East Marsh Island Marsh Creation 21-Jan-09 169 3 

Total = 12 Projects Total Net Acres = 3,055 
12 

Little Lake 

Shoreline 

Protection/

Dedicated 

Dredging near 

Round Lake
13 13

C WPPRA Effectiveness and Progress

Effectiveness within the CWPPRA program can be 

measured in the volume of projects that have expeditiously 

been constructed, the number of wetland acres restored 

and/or protected, and the successful collaboration between 

government and the public to accomplish ecosystem-level 

benefits with limited annual funding, one project at a time. 

Since 1990, 144 projects that are projected to restore and/

or protect more than 107,861 acres have been implemented 

under CWPPRA. Although a project viewed in isolation 

can appear to have a limited footprint, several projects 

built in strategic proximity to each other can have a much 

larger and synergistic benefit than the sum of individual 

projects. This is being demonstrated with the Barataria 

Basin Landbridge and the Louisiana barrier island system.

Over the last several years, projects were constructed that 

are collectively stabilizing the Barataria Basin Landbridge. 

This area, just south of New Orleans, provides a critical 

hydrologic barrier against encroachment from the Gulf 

of Mexico. Recognized as an acute area of need, the 

CWPPRA agencies prioritized these projects to be built 

expeditiously in order to restore these wetlands. Working 

together, these projects provide synergy with one another 

in the form of shoreline protection and marsh creation 

(over 1,000 acres each) needed to reclaim this ecosystem.

The Louisiana barrier island system is rightfully referred 

to as the “first line of defense” for the coastal communities 

and infrastructure that lie behind them. Also a rich 

and diverse ecosystem, the islands are home to many 

threatened or endangered fish, bird, and wildlife 

species. The CWPPRA program has markedly led the 

charge in restoring the barrier islands and thus contributing 

to Louisiana’s resiliency to storms and sea level rise. In 

the last 3 years alone, CWPPRA has initiated construction 

on several barrier island projects. A complex and 

expensive undertaking, these projects are needed to serve 

collectively as a perimeter defense to wetlands against 

storms and as a necessary component of Louisiana’s highly 

productive estuaries.

The quantitative measure of success within the CWPPRA 

program is captured by its programmatic, and in some 

cases project-specific, monitoring program. Implemented 

through a partnership between the State of Louisiana 

and the U.S. Geological Survey, CWPPRA’s Coastwide 

Reference Monitoring System (CRMS) installed 

monitoring stations throughout the Louisiana coastal zone 

to gather data on both project sites and reference areas to 

look at ecosystem response to projects. This information is 

critical, as it will help direct the design of future projects 

and the adaptive management of existing ones.

The following sections discuss several of the CWPPRA 

projects that were funded and/or constructed from 2006 to 

2009 divided by hydrologic region, with a brief review of 

the geography and challenges unique to each region.
14 

Figure 3. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18, Coast 2050 Region 1. BA-25b Missis sippi River

PO-34 PO-34

PO-30 PO-30

PO-29 PO-29

PO-27 PO-27

PO-18 PO-18

PO-06 PO-06

PO-24 PO-24

PO-16 PO-16

PO-17 PO-17

PO-19 PO-19

PO-32 PO-32

PO-33 PO-33

PO-22 PO-22

PO-30 PO-30

Image Source:

2009 Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery

Band 5 Mosaic

Produced by:

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

National Wetlands Research Center

Coastal Restoration Field Station

Baton Rouge, La.

Map ID: USGS-NWRC 2010-11-0028

Map Date: March 09, 2010

Data accurate as of March 08, 2010

Lake Pontchartrain

Lake

Maurepas

Lake

Borgne

Lake

Salvador

Bre ot n Sound

Chan

ed

el

r u

oS

nu d

Gulf of Mexico

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18 Region 1

1:584,000

8 0 8 16

Miles

8 0 8 16

Kilometers

CWPPRA Project Status

Region 1 Boundary Construction Completed

Under ConstructionIn Engineering and Design
15 15

Region 1

Region 1 includes the Pontchartrain Basin, which is 

the coastal area north and east of the Mississippi River 

above Caernarvon and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet 

(MRGO) (see figure 3). Major infrastructure includes 

the New Orleans metropolitan area north and east of the 

Mississippi River with several major ports, communities 

on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and the recently 

closed Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO). The natural 

landscape is dominated by low-lying swamps and marshes 

that are nourished by periodic flooding of rivers and bayous 

such as the Amite and Pearl Rivers and Bayou Manchac. 

Region 1 has several large and significant lakes such as 

Lakes Pontchartrain, Maurepas, and Borgne that support 

vast wetland complexes. There are an estimated 576,570 

acres of coastal wetlands in this urban estuary.

Critical problems in Region 1 are reduced riverine input, 

increased salinities, erosion along ship channels and lake 

shorelines, and potential loss of essential land bridges. 

Estimates of wetland loss from Region 1 indicate that 

23,296 acres of wetlands were lost between 1990 and 

2000 (Hill and Green, 2005). Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 

produced dramatic land changes within the region. The 

U.S. Geological Survey estimated that in this region 

14,720 acres of wetlands converted to open water during 

the 2005 hurricane season (Barras, 2006). Whether these 

wetlands will recover or will persist as open water is 

unknown at this time.

The primary challenges in this region are preserving habitat 

and maintaining current levels of productivity. In 2006, the 

Task Force authorized Phase 1—Engineering and Design 

of the Alligator Bend Marsh Restoration and Shoreline 

Protection Project (PO-34) in Region 1. PO-34 is expected 

to benefit 575 acres of the project area. Projects authorized 

and constructed in Region 1 during 2006–2009 include 

Lake Borgne Shoreline Protection (PO-30) and Goose Point 

and Point Platte Marsh Creation (PO-33) (table 3).

Table 3. CWPPRA projects authorized for Phase 1 and Phase 2 during this reporting period (2006–2009) in Region 1.

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 1—Engineering and Design; Phase 2—Construction]

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date Authorized

Total Net Acres

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Phase

PO-34 16 Alligator Bend Marsh Restoration and Shoreline Protection 18-Oct-06 127 1 

PO-30 10 Lake Borgne Shoreline Protection 8-Feb-06 165 2 

PO-33 13 Goose Point/Pointe Platte Marsh Creation 15-Feb-07 436 2 

Total Projects: 3 Total Acres = 728 
16 

Reestablishing 

a shoreline 

to protect 

interior marsh.
1717

Alligator Bend Marsh 

Restoration and 

Shoreline Protection 

Project (PO-34)

Creative thinking to protect land just west of 

New Orleans.

Location

This project is located in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, 

Orleans Parish, along the East Orleans Landbridge on 

the northwest shoreline of Lake Borgne. The project 

area is located between Chef Pass, the Gulf Intracoastal 

Waterway (GIWW), Unknown Pass, and Lake Borgne.

Problems

The landfall of Hurricane Katrina in southeast Louisiana 

destroyed thousands of acres of marsh and other 

coastal habitats in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Along 

the shorelines of Lake Borgne the storm created breaches 

between the lake and interior marshes and in some cases 

removed large expanses of wetlands. Loss of wetlands in 

the Alligator Bend area has created more than 1,000 acres of 

open water in a complex that formerly supported relatively 

stable brackish marshes. Post-storm aerial photographs show 

that the most significant losses occurred along the flanks of 

Bayou Platte. The current landscape configuration has left a 

large area of open water between eroding shorelines on Lake 

Borgne and along the GIWW. Continued shoreline erosion 

and future storms could create a direct path of open water 

connecting the GIWW and Lake Borgne and threaten the 

integrity of this important landbridge.

Restoration Strategy

The current objective of this project is to protect the 

shoreline integrity of Lake Borgne and prevent hydrologic 

coupling between the lake and the open water behind 

the shoreline. A foreshore rock dike will be constructed 

along approximately 26,702 linear feet of the shoreline. 

In the shoreline areas not protected by the rock dike, 

approximately 21,674 feet of vegetation will be planted. The 

rows will be staggered to facilitate the establishment of a 

“vegetative wall” to ensure a continuous line of protection 

against erosion. 

Example of Project in Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 1

Progress to Date

The project is currently in Phase 1—Engineering and 

Design. A 30% review meeting is anticipated for 2011. 

Phase 2—Construction funding is scheduled to be requested 

at the January 2012 Task Force meeting. Construction is 

anticipated to begin October 2012 with a completion date of 

September 2013.

Project Status

Approved: 2006

Project Area: 575 acres

Cost: $1.66 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 127 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 56

Project Type: Marsh Restoration and Shoreline Protection

Status: Phase 1

This project is on Priority Project List 16.
18 

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 1

Rock breakwaters are constructed to protect shorelines.

18 

Mending and Protecting 

Landmasses West of New 

Orleans: Lake Borgne 

Shoreline Protection 

(PO-30)

Location

This project is located near New Orleans on the southwest 

shoreline of Lake Borgne at Old Shell Beach and Bayou 

Dupre in St. Bernard Parish. In general, the project area 

consists of two segments: the Bayou Dupre segment and 

the Shell Beach segment.

Problems

The narrow strip of marsh separating the MRGO and Lake 

Borgne in the vicinity of Old Shell Beach and Bayou Dupre 

is disappearing. This project addresses that loss by mitigating 

shoreline retreat and protecting the Lake Borgne shoreline.

Restoration Strategy

The project’s objectives include preventing and reducing 

Lake Borgne shoreline retreat in the areas adjacent to Old 

Shell Beach and Bayou Dupre to mitigate further joining of 

the lake and the MRGO; reestablishing a sustainable lake 

rim; and preventing or reducing conversion of emergent 

marsh to open water. Continuous rock breakwaters were 

constructed onshore approximately 17,000 feet from 

Doulluts Canal to Fort Bayou (Shell Beach) to provide 

shoreline protection. The protection ties into the existing 

rock breakwater structure which surrounds the perimeter of 

Old Fort Beauregard (Fort Proctor). Additional onshore rock 

breakwaters were constructed approximately 6,643 feet west 

and 4,418 feet southeast of Bayou Dupre. Back-to-back steel 

sheet pile structures at Bayou Dupre tie the rock structures 

into the existing offshore U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

rock breakwater along the MRGO.

Accomplishments

Phase 1—Engineering and Design was approved in January 

2001 and January 2002 and was completed in March 2005. 

Approval/funding for Phase 2—Construction occurred in 

February 2006 and the notice to proceed (construction) in 

August 2007. Construction was completed in April 2010.
1919

Protecting the Land, 

Plants, Animals, and 

People Along the 

North Shore of Lake 

Pontchartrain near New 

Orleans: Goose Point/

Point Platte Marsh 

Creation (PO-33)

The green plant area is the edge of Lake Pontchartrain; 

the black lines are the containment area of the project 

before it was built.

Location

The project is located north of New Orleans on the north 

shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, between 

Fontainebleu State Park and Louisiana Highway 11 and 

within the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. The 

project area at Goose Point also includes a portion of the St. 

Tammany State Wildlife Refuge.

Problems

Interior ponding and, to a lesser extent, shoreline erosion 

are the major causes of wetland loss in the project area. 

High wetland loss rates were associated with hydrologic 

alterations that allowed salt water to penetrate the fresher 

marshes. During the transition to a more brackish plant 

community, large ponds were formed. A narrow strip of land 

separated these ponds from Lake Pontchartrain.

Restoration Strategy

The goal of this project was to re-create marsh habitat 

in the open water behind the shoreline. This new marsh 

will maintain the lake-rim function along this section of 

the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain by preventing the 

formation of breaches into interior ponds. Sediment was 

dredged from Lake Pontchartrain and contained in cells 

within the interior ponds to create approximately 417 acres 

of marsh in the 1,384-acre project area. In addition, 149 

acres of degraded marsh were nourished with dredged 

material. Marsh was created to widen the shoreline so that 

the ponds will not be breached during the course of normal 

shoreline retreat.

Project implementation has resulted in approximately 566 

acres of marsh created and nourished, with an estimated 436 

acres protected and restored over the 20-year project life. 

The restored marshes will maintain the lake-rim function 

along this section of the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain 

and will continue to provide water quality benefits necessary 

to support the lake’s aquatic resources, as well as support 

the fish and wildlife habitat of the national wildlife refuge.

Accomplishments

Construction began in April 2008 and was completed in 

January 2009. The current estimated cost of the project is 

$15,721,330, which includes $15,131,010 for construction 

first costs and then $590,320 for 20 years of operations and 

maintenance. This project was completed under budget, 

and it is anticipated that approximately $5 million will be 

returned to the CWPPRA program to be reinvested in 

other projects.
Figure 4. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18, Coast 2050 Region 2. 

Lake

Pontchartrain

Timbalier

Bay

Terrebonne

Bay

Lake Borgne

Barataria

Bay

Bre ot n Sound

Lake

Salvador

BA-27c

BA-27

MR-09

BA-41

BA-42

MR-15

BA-47

BA-48

BS-15

BS-16

BS-18

BA-68

MR-09

BA-03c

BS-03a

MR-13

BA-04c

BA-02

MR-03

BS-12 BA-20

BA-34

BA-26

BS-10

BA-23

BA-37

MR-14

MR-06

BS-11

BA-36

BA-40

BA-27d

BA-38

BA-39

BA-35 BA-28

BA-15

BA-19

MR-10

IBERVILLE

Image Source:

2009 Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery

Band 5 Mosaic

Produced by:

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

National Wetlands Research Center

Coastal Restoration Field Station

Baton Rouge, La.

Map ID: USGS-NWRC 2010-11-0029

Map Date: March 09, 2010

Data accurate as of March 08, 2010

Gulf of Mexico

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18 Region 2

CWPPRA Project Status 1:625,000

6 0 6 12

Miles

6 0 6 12

Kilometers

Region 2 Boundary Construction Completed

Under ConstructionIn Engineering and Design
 21

Region 2

Region 2 includes the Breton Sound, Barataria, and 

Mississippi River Delta hydrologic basins (see figure 

4). This region comprises the coastal area east of the 

Mississippi River to the MRGO and the area west of the 

Mississippi River to Bayou Lafourche and includes 894,700 

acres of wetlands. Important features include the Birdsfoot 

Delta of the Mississippi River, Little Lake, Lake Salvador, 

and Barataria Bay and extensive marshes varying from fresh 

to saline. This region’s major infrastructure includes the 

“West Bank” area of New Orleans, the lower Mississippi 

River navigation channel, and important offshore support 

bases such as Port Fourchon and Venice. Numerous oil and 

gas pipelines pass through this region to inland refineries or 

interstate transmission networks, including the Louisiana 

Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) pipeline. The LOOP provides 

a deepwater port for some of the world’s largest tankers. 

Towns such as Lafitte, Venice, Port Sulphur, and Grand 

Isle support robust commercial and recreational fishing 

industries.

Historically, annual flooding from the Mississippi River 

and Bayou Lafourche provided nutrients, sediment, and 

water to the wetlands; however, levee construction altered 

the natural hydrologic process and transport of sediment 

for marsh nourishment. Region 2 has undergone one of the 

highest rates of land loss in coastal Louisiana. This region 

lost approximately 52,160 acres of wetlands between 1990 

and 2000 (Hill and Green, 2005). The U.S. Geological 

Survey estimated that in this region alone 49,280 acres 

of open water were formed during the 2005 hurricane 

season (Barras, 2006). Breton Sound Basin suffered the 

highest losses of any basin from Hurricane Katrina. Critical 

problems in Region 2 include subsidence combined with 

sediment and nutrient deprivation, compaction, saltwater 

intrusion, shoreline erosion, and barrier island erosion.

Between 2006 and 2009, the Task Force authorized 

nine projects for Phase 1—Engineering and Design in 

Region 2. These include Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 

(BA-42), Venice Ponds Marsh Creation and Crevassess 

(MR-15), Bohemia Mississippi River Reintroduction 

(BS-15), Caernarvon Outfall Management/Lake Lery 

Shoreline Restoration (BS-16), West Pointe a la Hache 

Marsh Creation (BA-47), Bayou Dupont Ridge Creation 

and Marsh Restoration (BA-48), Bertrandville Siphon 

(BS-18), and Grand Liard Marsh and Ridge Restoration 

(BA-68), and Bayou Lamoque Freshwater Diversion 

(which was later transferred to another program). Projects 

authorized for Phase 2—Construction in Region 2 during 

2006–2009 include Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass 

Barrier Shoreline Restoration (BA-35); Dedicated Dredging 

on the Barataria Basin Landbridge (BA-36), Mississippi 

River Sediment Delivery System – Bayou Dupont (BA-39), 

South Shore of the Pen Shoreline Protection and Marsh 

Creation (BA-41), and the Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 

project (BA-42) (table 4).

Additionally, CWPPRA constructed projects during 

this time period include Delta Management at Fort St. 

Phillip (BS-11), the Barataria Basin Landbridge Shoreline 

Protection Phases 1 and 2 (BA-27), Pass Chaland to Grand 

Bayou Pass Barrier Island Shoreline Restoration (BA-35), 

and the Barataria Barrier Island and Pass La Mer to 

Chaland Headland (BA-28-2).
22 

Sand fences 

and grasses 

help to 

improve 

resiliency.

Table 4. CWPPRA projects authorized for Phase 1 and Phase 2 during this reporting period (2006–2009) in Region 2.

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 1—Engineering and Design; Phase 2—Construction]

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date 

Authorized

Total Net Acres

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Phase

BS-13 15 Bayou Lamoque FW Divr [Transfer - Oct 2007] 8-Feb-06 620 1 

BA-42 15 Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 8-Feb-06 447 1 

MR-15 15 Venice Ponds Marsh Creation and Crevasses 8-Feb-06 511 1 

BS-15 17 Bohemia Mississippi River Reintroduction 25-Oct-07 637 1 

BS-16 17 Caernarvon Outfall Management/Lake Lery 

Shoreline Restoration 25-Oct-07 652 1 

BA-47 17 West Pointe a la Hache Marsh Creation 25-Oct-07 203 1 

BA-48 17 Bayou Dupont Marsh and Ridge Creation 25-Oct-07 187 1 

BS-18 18 Bertrandville Siphon 21-Jan-09 1,613 1 

BA-68 18 Grand Liard Marsh and Ridge Restoration 21-Jan-09 286 1 

BA-35 11 Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier 

Shoreline Restoration 8-Feb-06 263 2 

BA-36 11 Dedicated Dredging on the Barataria Basin Landbridge 15-Feb-07 242 2 

BA-39 12 Mississippi River Sediment Delivery System - 

Bayou Dupont 13-Feb-08 326 2 

BA-41 14 South Shore of the Pen Shoreline Protection and 

Marsh Creation 13-Feb-08 211 2 

BA-42 15 Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation 21-Jan-09 447 2 

Total Projects: 14 Total Acres = 6,645 
23

Bohemia Mississippi River Reintroduction (BS-15)

Example of Project in Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 2

Location

The project is located in the Breton Sound Basin in 

Plaquemines Parish along the east bank of the Mississippi 

River approximately 8–9 miles southeast of Pointe a la 

Hache, just north of and across the river from Port Sulfur.

Problems

Wetland loss rates in this area are very low, probably 

because of the beneficial effect of the small Bohemia 

diversion nearby; regular, seasonal overbank flow during 

flood stage on the Mississippi River; some influence from 

the nearby mouth of the Mississippi River; and possibly a 

stabilizing effect of these wetlands occurring on the flanks 

of the natural levee of the Mississippi River. This project 

is best viewed as an opportunity to create new land by 

diverting Mississippi River water, which could offset a 

small portion of losses elsewhere.

Restoration Strategy

An uncontrolled diversion with a capacity of approximately 

10,000 cubic feet per second will be constructed to 

reintroduce Mississippi River water to promote natural 

deltaic growth and nourish 5,000 acres of saline and 

brackish marsh and open water. Approximately 637 net 

acres of marsh will be created over the 20-year life of the 

project. The diversion will also result in a shift in marsh 

types towards fresher marsh. In addition, to partially 

compensate for habitat losses from proposed channel 

improvements, dredged material will be used beneficially 

to fill in existing oil and gas canals to create marsh, and 

trees will be planted on new guide levees of the improved 

diversion channel. Aquatic vegetation in interior marsh 

ponds and channels is expected to increase. The project also 

aims to improve habitat interspersion in the area by creating 

new marsh in open water areas as a result of diverting 

Mississippi River water, sediment, and nutrients. An 

increase in the amount of shallow open water habitat in the 

project area, as a percentage of existing open water habitat, 

is also anticipated.

Progress to Date

The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force approved funding for Phase 1—

Engineering and Design of this project at its October 2007 

meeting. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the 

lead Federal project sponsor, is currently working with 

Louisiana’s Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration 

as they negotiate a scope of services with their prospective 

engineering and design firm.

Project Status 

Approved Date: 2007

Project Area: 5,210 acres

Approved Funds: $1,359,699

Total Estimated Cost: $6,923,792

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 637 acres

Project Type: Freshwater Diversion

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 989 

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 17. 

 23
24 

Example of Project in Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 2

West Pointe a la Hache Marsh Creation (BA-47)

Location

The project area is located in Barataria Basin. The site is 

located near Highway 23 at West Pointe a la Hache.

Problems

As a result of leveeing the Mississippi River for navigation 

and flood control, the West Pointe a la Hache wetlands were 

cut off from the historical overbank flooding of the river. 

Without continued sediment input, marshes could not sustain 

viable elevations because of ongoing subsidence. In addition, 

oil and gas canals disrupted hydrology and facilitated 

saltwater intrusion, further degrading the marsh. Beginning 

in 1993, the siphons at West Pointe a la Hache were operated 

to reintroduce Mississippi River water, fine sediments, 

and nutrients into this area; however, land loss rates have 

continued to be high. An opportunity exists to create 

marshes directly in the influence area of the siphons by using 

sediment from the nearby Mississippi River. The created 

marshes should benefit from the effects of the reintroduced 

Mississippi River water from the siphons.

Restoration Strategy

This project will re-create marsh habitat in the area just 

west of the Jefferson Lake Canal by harvesting sediment 

from the Mississippi River and pumping it via pipeline 

to the proposed site. The goals of this project include 

converting approximately 250 acres of open water habitat 

to intermediate marsh, nourishing approximately 102 acres 

of existing intermediate marsh with dredged material, and 

maintaining 203 acres of created/nourished marsh over the 

20-year project life.

Progress to Date

The project is currently in Phase 1—Engineering and 

Design. A 30% review meeting is anticipated for 2011. 

Phase 2—Construction funding is scheduled to be 

requested at the January 2012 Task Force meeting. 

Construction is anticipated to begin September 2012, 

with a completion date of September 2013.

Project Status

Approved Date: 2007

Project Area: 352 acres

Approved Funds: $1.6 million

Total Estimated Cost: $16 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 203 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 126

Project Type: Marsh Creation

Status: Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 17.

24 
2525

Crevasses, Terraces, 

and Plants Work 

Together To Revive 

Fresh Marsh Habitats:

Delta Management at 

Fort St. Philip (BS-11)

An artificial crevasse (gap) in the containment system 

allows for the diversion of fresh water and sediments.

Location

The project is located about 50 miles southeast of New 

Orleans in Plaquemines Parish on the east bank of the 

Mississippi River across from Fort Jackson.

Problems

This area has undergone tremendous loss of emergent 

wetlands since 1974. The causes of marsh loss appear 

to be from subsidence, wind and wave erosion, and 

possibly scouring of highly organic marshes when river 

water was introduced in the early 1970s (possibly during 

the 1973 flood). The fringing marsh in this area borders 

Breton Sound, which can undergo intense wave energy 

that causes extensive loss of shoreline marsh. During the 

1973 flood, a locally constructed levee was breached in 

several locations near Fort St. Philip and has continued to 

deteriorate from wave energy and the flow of fresh water 

during high river stages. In 1991, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers constructed a revetment (retaining wall) and 

rock dike approximately 2 miles long on the east side 

of the Mississippi River near Fort St. Philip. That dike, 

originally constructed to an elevation of 5 feet, has been 

degraded to 0.5 feet for 2,000 feet and to -3 feet for 700 feet 

immediately downstream from Fort St. Philip to allow for 

continued overbank flow of fresh water.

Restoration Strategy

Even though this area is undergoing a net gain in emergent 

marsh, this project will enhance the natural marsh-building 

processes and increase the growth rate of emergent 

wetlands. The objective of the project is to enhance the 

delta-building process occurring as a result of the crevasse 

at Fort St. Philip. Six artificial crevasses were constructed 

to divert fresh water and sediments into two shallow, open 

water receiving areas currently restricted by spoil banks 

or natural ridges. The crevasses will be maintained during 

the project life. In addition, 98 linear terraces, each 200 

feet in length (19,600 linear feet total), were constructed to 

enhance sediment retention and reduce wave energy in one 

of the large receiving bays. Terraces were also planted with 

seashore paspalum and smooth cordgrass.

Accomplishments

Through the construction of earthen terraces and vegetative 

plantings and the enhancement of the natural processes 

of delta growth, approximately 267 net acres of emergent 

marsh are expected to be benefited through the 20-year 

project life. Construction was initiated on June 19, 2006, 

and was completed on December 14, 2006. The project cost 

was $2,098,036, which included $1,974,007 for construction 

first costs and the remainder to be used for 20 years of 

monitoring, operations, and maintenance.

Example of Project Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 2
26 

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 2

Panel structures being used for a field test.

26 

A Synergistic Approach 

to Restoration Improves 

Constructability and 

Stability: Barataria 

Basin Landbridge 

Shoreline Protection, 

Phases 1 and 2 (BA-27)

Location

The project is located approximately 20 miles due south 

of New Orleans and 3 miles south of Lafitte, in western 

Jefferson Parish and eastern Lafourche Parish, on the 

western shoreline of Bayou Perot and the east/southeastern 

shoreline of Bayou Rigolettes.

Problems

Erosion rates of up to 114 feet per year along the western 

shoreline of Bayou Perot and the eastern shoreline of Bayou 

Rigolettes are causing severe marsh loss in the area. The 

Barataria Basin Landbridge is a key feature in the Barataria 

Bay Estuary and was likely to be lost if the erosion in the 

area was not reduced.

Restoration Strategy

Approximately 35,000 feet of shoreline protection has 

been constructed. Of that, approximately 6,200 feet is a 

traditional foreshore rock dike; the remainder consists of 

concrete panel structures. This project is one of several 

projects in the area that works synergistically to protect 

and restore the wetlands within the entire Barataria Basin 

Landbridge. This first Barataria Basin Landbridge project 

has been constructed in four CWPPRA phases. The project 

restoration area has grown through funds provided by the 

Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) and by Louisiana 

State surplus fund. In partnership with other programs, it 

now extends well beyond its original footprint and plan.

Accomplishments

At the April 14, 1999, meeting, the Louisiana CWPPRA Task 

Force approved combining the Barataria Basin Landbridge 

Phase 1 (PPL 7) and Phase 2 (PPL 8) projects. The project 

was recorded on Priority Project List 7. It was then separated 

into four construction units (a–d).
2727

Responding to 

Damage Promptly 

Helps Prevent Total 

Collapse of the 

System: Pass Chaland to 

Grand Bayou Pass Barrier 

Island Shoreline 

Restoration (BA-35)

The construction rebuilds the island complex and helps 

to protect the marsh directly behind the newly created 

barrier island areas. Wave action on the south side of 

the beach is apparent in the photograph.

Location

This project is located about 60 miles south of New Orleans 

in the Barataria Basin in Plaquemines Parish.

Problems

The Plaquemines Parish shoreline, which forms the southern 

boundary of the Barataria Bay Estuary, is one of the fastest 

eroding coasts in the Nation. Historically, Shell Island, a 

5-mile-long barrier shoreline, extended eastward; however, 

Shell Island has largely been eroded, and this project serves 

to stabilize the remaining island chain. The specific project 

area was an intact shoreline in 2001. The shoreline was 

initially breached in 2002, after which increased erosion was 

evident because of the formation of tidal passes. Erosional 

losses increased dramatically as shoreline degradation 

resulting from continued storm impacts occurred.

Restoration Strategy

The project was designed to maintain shoreline integrity 

through the restoration of a sandy beach and dune feature. 

Additionally, construction activities restored back barrier 

marshes to provide a foundational platform to support 

anticipated shoreline migration. More than 2,950,000 cubic 

yards of material was used for island restoration.

Accomplishments

The project reestablished a continuous 2.7-mile shoreline 

by restoring a fragmented beach. At the time of project 

construction, an 8-foot-deep inlet had formed. The project 

created and restored more than 425 acres of beach, dune, 

and marsh. Based on coastal engineering analyses, it is 

predicted that the shoreline should remain intact for 15–20 

years. It is estimated that about 260 more acres will exist in 

20 years.

Engineering was completed at a cost of about $1.4 million. 

Engineering challenges included project redesign following 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Site-specific design 

issues included ensuring continued circulation in Bay Joe 

Wise to maintain oyster production.
28 

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 2

Pipes deliver new sediment to the island.

28 

Drawing a “Line in the 

Sand” To Enhance 

Coastal Resiliency: 

Barataria Barrier Island 

Complex Project – Pelican 

Island and Pass La Mer to 

Chaland Headland (BA-38-2)

Location

Chaland Headland is located on the Gulf of Mexico about 

60 miles south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish.

Problems

The Plaquemines Parish shoreline, which forms the southern 

boundary of the Barataria Bay Estuary, is one of the fastest 

eroding coasts in the Nation. The specific project area was 

an intact, continuous 2.6-mile shoreline in 2001. Ongoing 

coastal erosion, coupled with tropical storms and hurricanes, 

resulted in the fragmentation of the shoreline into three parts.

Restoration Strategy

The major project purpose was to restore a continuous 

shoreline to enhance coastal resiliency. Using state-of-theart coastal engineering science, the project was designed 

to maintain shoreline integrity through the restoration of a 

sandy beach and dune feature. Additionally, construction 

activities restored back barrier marshes to provide a 

foundational platform to support anticipated shoreline 

migration. More than 3,370,000 cubic yards of material 

was dredged from offshore relic deposits and used for 

island restoration.

Accomplishments

Full design and engineering was completed in less than 3 

years. Despite delays associated with the 2005 hurricane 

season, heavy construction began in March 2006 and was 

completed in January 2007.

The project reestablished a continuous 2.6-mile shoreline 

by reconnecting three segments of fragmented beach. The 

project created and restored over 414 acres of beach, dune 

and marsh. On the basis of coastal engineering analyses, it is 

predicted that the shoreline should remain intact for 15–20 

years. It is estimated that about 280 more acres will exist in 

20 years and that the shoreline retreat will have been reduced 

by over 200 feet.

Engineering was completed at a cost of about $1.2 million 

by a consortium of several private firms and involved 

extensive surveying and soil investigations. Construction 

activities included dredging and other marine construction 

functions, as well as sand fencing and vegetative plantings. 

Total construction costs were about $18 million.
2929

Harvesting the Rich 

Resources of the 

River: Mississippi 

River Sediment 

Delivery System – 

Bayou Dupont (BA-39)

Hydrologic cutterhead dredge head. This dredge brings 

sediment from the river bed.

Location

Located approximately 20 miles south of New Orleans on the 

west bank of the Mississippi River, adjacent to Bayou Dupont 

and southeast of Cheniere Traverse Bayou, this project is 

located within the Barataria Basin in the vicinity of Ironton in 

Plaquemines Parish and Lafitte in Jefferson Parish.

Problems

Project area marshes are badly degraded and have converted 

to mostly open water, likely due to a combination of causes 

including a lack of natural freshwater and sediment input, 

subsidence, and the dredging of oil and gas canals.

Restoration Strategy

The project harvests sediment from the Mississippi River 

to create marsh in a rapidly eroding and subsiding section 

of the Barataria Basin Landbridge. The project utilizes a 

hydraulic cutterhead dredge to mine renewable sediment 

from the Mississippi River between river miles 63 and 65. 

Approximately 2,300,000 cubic yards of sediment would 

be pumped approximately 5 miles through pipeline to the 

receiving marsh area. The pipe that carries the sediment from 

the river to the marsh was jacked and bored under Louisiana 

Highway 23 and the Missouri Pacific railroad line. Results 

from this project should serve to demonstrate the value and 

efficacy of greater use of pipeline-conveyed river sediments 

for coastal restoration.

Accomplishments

This project created or restored 471 acres of intertidal marsh by 

delivering sediments dredged from the Mississippi River via 

pipeline and by planting marsh vegetation. An additional 84 

acres of marsh were created through use of NOAA American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and surplus CWPPRA 

construction funds.
30 

Figure 5. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18, Coast 2050 Region 3. Gulf of Mexico

Vermilion Bay

West Cote

Blanche Bay

East Cote

Blanche Bay

Atchafalaya

Bay

Timbalier

Bay Terrebonne

Bay

Lake Salvador

TV-21

TE-51

TE-52

LA-05

TE-34

TE-66

TE-20

TV-03

TE-17

TE-18

TE-22

AT-03

AT-02

TE-23

TE-24

TV-09

TV-04

TE-26

TE-28

TE-25

TE-27

TE-30

TV-12

TE-29

TE-34

TV-14

TE-32a

TV-15

TV-13a

TV-16

TV-17

TE-39

TV-18

TE-40

TV-19

TE-41

TE-37

TV-11b

TE-44

TE-43

TE-45

TE-46

TE-48

TE-47

TE-49

TE-50

TV-20

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST

Image Source:

2009 Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery

Band 5 Mosaic

Produced by:

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

National Wetlands Research Center

Coastal Restoration Field Station

Baton Rouge, La.

Map ID: USGS-NWRC 2010-11-0030

Map Date: March 09, 2010

Data accurate as of March 08, 2010

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18 Region 3

1:550,0007.5 0 7.5 15

Miles

8 0 8 16

Kilometers

CWPPRA Project Boundaries

In Engineering and DesignUnder ConstructionConstruction Completed Region 3 Boundary
31 31

Region 3

Region 3 includes the Atchafalaya, Terrebonne, and Teche/

Vermilion hydrologic basins and extends from Bayou 

Lafourche to Freshwater Bayou Canal (see figure 5). This 

region covers the municipalities of Houma and Thibodaux 

and the major port of Morgan City. Region 3 also has 

numerous oil and gas pipelines connecting to inland 

refineries or interstate natural gas transmission networks, 

such as the Henry Hub in the Teche/Vermilion Basin. 

A major landscape element is Bayou Lafourche, which 

has many miles of fishing communities along its banks. 

Terrebonne and Timbalier Bays are actually one large bay 

system with several large barrier islands separating it from 

the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya River is building the 

only two actively growing deltas on the Louisiana coast. 

This region includes 1,078,800 acres of wetlands.

Estimates of wetland loss from Region 3 indicate that 

46,976 acres of wetlands were lost between 1990 and 

2000 (Hill and Green, 2005). The U.S. Geological Survey 

estimated that in this region alone 21,120 acres of wetlands 

converted to open water during the 2005 hurricane season 

(Barras, 2006). Principal causes of land loss in this region 

include subsidence, shoreline erosion, altered hydrology, 

and barrier island deterioration. Although the active deltas 

of the Atchafalaya River are growing slowly, they have not 

offset the land loss in Region 3.

Since 2006, the Task Force has authorized three projects for 

Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 3: Madison 

Bay Marsh Creation and Terracing (TE-51), West Belle 

Pass Barrier Headland Restoration (TE-52), and Central 

Terrebonne Freshwater Enhancement (TE-66) (see table 5). 

Combined, these projects are expected to benefit 1,133 acres 

of wetlands in Region 3.

Projects authorized for Phase 2—Construction in Region 3 

during 2006–2009 include West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline 

Protection and Marsh Creation (TE-46), South Lake De 

Cade Freshwater Introduction (TE-39), Whiskey Island 

Back Barrier Marsh Creation (TE-50), and East Marsh 

Island Marsh Creation (TV-21) (table 5).

Additionally, CWPPRA constructed projects in Region 3 

during this reporting period include Timbalier Island Dune 

and Marsh Creation (TE-40) and Raccoon Island Shoreline 

Protection/Marsh Creation (TE-48).

Table 5. CWPPRA projects authorized for Phase 1 and Phase 2 during this reporting period (2006–2009) in Region 3. 

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 1—Engineering and Design; Phase 2—Construction]

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date 

Authorized

Total Net Acres

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Phase

TE-51 16 Madison Bay Marsh Creation and Terracing 18-Oct-06 372 1 

TE-52 16 West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration 18-Oct-06 305 1 

TE-66 18 Central Terrebonne Freshwater Enhancement 21-Jan-09 456 1 

TE-46 11 West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection and Marsh Creation 8-Feb-06 277 2 

TE-39 9 South Lake De Cade Freshwater Introduction 13-Feb-08 202 2 

TE-50 13 Whiskey Island Backbarrier Marsh Creation 13-Feb-08 272 2 

TV-21 14 East Marsh Island Marsh Creation 21-Jan-09 169 2 

Total Projects: 7 Total Acres = 2,053 
32 

Examples of Projects in Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 3

Central Terrebonne Freshwater Enhancement (TE-66)

Location

The project area is located in Terrebonne Parish in the 

Terrebonne Basin.

Problems

The Bayou Dularge Ridge historically restricted the marine 

influence of the Gulf of Mexico into Central Terrebonne 

marshes, forming a diagonal restriction extending from 

northeast to southwest, where the Atchafalaya River 

influence is prominent. The Grand Pass is currently a 

900-foot-wide artificial cut through the Bayou Dularge 

Ridge south of Lake Mechant. The pass is used mainly by 

commercial and recreational fishermen as a shortcut to the 

gulf; it has greatly eroded to a point of approximately 36 feet 

deep that well exceeds optimal utility. The expansion of the 

pass to its current size has allowed for a substantial alteration 

of historical salinity and hydrology; consequently, a broad 

area of the Central Terrebonne marshes is suffering some of 

the highest loss rates in the State.

Restoration Strategy

The project will reestablish historical hydrologic and salinity 

conditions by reducing the artificial intrusion of gulf marine 

waters via the Grand Pass into the Central Terrebonne 

marshes while enhancing the influence of the Atchafalaya 

River waters into the area. A structure consisting of rock 

barge bay would be constructed to reduce the size of the 

opening by up to 90% to 150 feet wide and 15 feet deep. 

The project would reestablish the historical ridge function 

of Bayou Dularge that separated Lake Mechant from the 

gulf and moderate salinities that have greatly impacted the 

marshes to the north of Lake Mechant. The project will 

also increase the Atchafalaya River influence in the area 

by modifying the current structure located in Liners Canal 

north of Lake Decade to increase freshwater introduction to 

Lake Decade by an estimated 500 cubic feet per second and 

provide maintenance dredging at Minors Canal to maintain 

optimal freshwater conveyance from the Gulf Intracoastal 

Waterway into Lake Decade.

Progress to Date

The project is currently in Phase 1—Engineering and 

Design. The project team is developing surveying, 

geotechnical investigations, and modeling requirements 

necessary to proceed to 30% design review. The project is 

scheduled to request Phase 2—Construction funding at the 

January 2012 Task Force meeting.

Project Status 

Approved Date: 2009

Project Area: 48,446 acres

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 456 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 470

Project Type: Hydrologic Restoration

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 18.

32 
33

West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration (TE-52)

Location

The project is located along the Chenier Caminada 

headland to the west of West Belle Pass, at the 

southeastern edge of Timbalier Bay in Lafourche Parish.

Problems

This headland undergoes some of the highest shoreline 

retreat rates in the Nation, measuring over 100 feet per 

year in some locations. As the Gulf of Mexico encroaches 

upon the shoreline, sand is removed, and the headland 

erodes. What was once a continuous shoreline spanning 

several miles has been reduced to less than half its 

original length. Furthermore, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 

removed most of the emergent headland and dunes west 

of the pass. This headland helps provide protection to 

interior marshes and the Port Fourchon area; however, its 

continued degradation threatens the fragile bay habitat and 

infrastructure it once protected.

Restoration Strategy

This project will reestablish the West Belle headland 

by rebuilding a large portion of the beach, dune, and 

back barrier marsh that once existed. Approximately 

9,300 feet of beach and dune will be rebuilt by using 

nearly 2 million cubic yards of dredged sand, and 150 

acres of marsh habitat will be rebuilt by using nearly 

1 million cubic yards of dredged material. Native 

vegetation will be planted upon construction to help 

stabilize the rebuilt marsh and dune habitat.

Progress to Date

This project was approved for Phase 1—Engineering and 

Design in October 2006 and is anticipated to be completed 

in 2009.

Project Status

Approved Date: 2006

Project Area: 542 acres

Cost: $32.5 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 299 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 180

Project Type: Barrier Headland and Marsh Creation

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 16.

 33
34 

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 3

34 

Location

Timbalier Island is a barrier island located south of 

Houma and south of Terrebonne Bay in Terrebonne Parish.

Problems

Timbalier Island was migrating rapidly to the west/

northwest as beach material was being carried by waves 

and currents. Additionally, land was being lost because 

of inadequate sediment supply, relative 

sea level rise or subsidence, and the 

passage of storms. Without mitigation 

efforts, the island was projected to 

disappear by 2050.

Restoration Strategy

The project pumped sediment from the 

Gulf of Mexico to restore 2.2 miles of 

beach and dune and created a marsh 

platform on the bay side of the island. 

More than 110,000 grown plants 

consisting of eight different species were 

planted, while sand fencing was built to 

help the plants capture and retain windblown sand.

Accomplishments

This project was constructed in summer 2005 prior to the 

devastating impacts of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While 

the impacts to Timbalier Island appeared to be initially 

significant, the photograph taken 14 months after the 

hurricanes clearly shows the resilience of the project after 

tidal forces reworked the sediment. 

Caption

A Picture Is 

Worth a 

Thousand Words:

Timbalier Island 

Dune and Marsh 

Creation (TE-40)
3535

Working with 300 

Landowners Is Truly 

Public Involvement: 

West Lake Boudreaux 

Shoreline Protection and 

Marsh Creation (TE-46)

Marsh creation required the extraction of material from 

the bottom of Lake Boudreaux via hydraulic dredge and 

placement of that material in previously constructed 

earthen containment cells.

Location

The West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection and Marsh 

Creation (TE-46) project area is located south of Houma 

in Terrebonne Parish, along the western side of Lake 

Boudreaux, south of Bayou Butler and east of Highway 57 

and Bayou Grand Caillou.

Problems

Where this project is located, the western shoreline of Lake 

Boudreaux is very close to a forced drainage levee that 

directly protects the community of Boudreaux and indirectly 

protects the community of Dulac, La. The shoreline 

erosion rates along the western shore of Lake Boudreaux 

were determined to be approximately 45 feet per year 

(northwestern shore), 20–30 feet per year (central western 

shore), and 7 feet per year (southwestern shore) (U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, 2001). A Professional Engineering 

and Surveying Company, Inc. (PENSCO) survey, taken in 

the spring of 2004, indicated that there had been as much as 

600 feet of shoreline erosion in the 6-year period since the 

baseline aerial photograph utilized for the project plan had 

been taken on February 4, 1998 (PENSCO, 2004).

Restoration Strategy

Two restoration strategies were used in the construction of 

this project: marsh creation and shoreline protection. Marsh 

creation required the extraction of material from the bottom 

of Lake Boudreaux via hydraulic dredge and placement of 

that material in previously constructed earthen containment 

cells. Those cells of material would be protected by the 

second restoration strategy, in which rock was placed along 

the shoreline in front of those marsh creation cells.

Accomplishments

The project restored/nourished 226 acres of emergent marsh 

and protected 80 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation and 

emergent marsh. This project also protected nearly 12,000 

linear feet of shoreline.

The cost to complete the engineering and design work 

(including the land rights) was approximately $1.3 

million, and construction costs will be nearly $14 million. 

Construction start date was July 24, 2007, and in January 

2009 all construction work had been completed. In this 

project, nearly 300 landowners were involved in the 

restoration activities.
36 

Construction crews build breakwaters on 

Raccoon Island.

36 

Saving Louisiana’s 

Westernmost Barrier 

Island and the Brown 

Pelican: Raccoon Island 

Shoreline Protection/Marsh 

Creation (TE-48)

Location

Raccoon Island is located in the Terrebonne Basin. It is the 

westernmost island of the Isles Dernieres (“last islands”) 

barrier island chain in Terrebonne Parish, south of Houma.

Problems

The Isles Dernieres barrier island chain is undergoing some 

of the highest erosion rates of any coastal region of the 

world. Raccoon Island is undergoing shoreline retreat both 

gulfward and bayward, which is threatening one of the most 

productive colonial waterbird nesting areas and shorebird 

habitats along the Gulf Coast. This island is now home to 

Louisiana’s largest nesting colony of brown pelicans, whose 

native population was reduced to near zero during the 1960s.

Restoration Strategy

This project has been separated into two construction phases, 

Phase A and Phase B. Phase A involved the construction 

of eight segmented breakwaters, complementing the eight 

breakwaters that were originally constructed on the gulf front 

in 1997 (as part of the CWPPRA Raccoon Island Breakwater 

Demonstration project [TE-29] to prevent shoreline erosion). 

Phase A also included the installation of an eastern groin that 

connects existing Breakwater Number 0 to the island.

Phase B consists of creating additional intertidal and 

supratidal marsh, both of which are excellent foraging and 

nesting avian habitat, on the northeast portion of the island. 

This will be done by backfilling an open water area with 

suitable sediment dredged from the outer continental shelf, 

approximately 4 miles south of Raccoon Island. Vegetative 

plantings will be the last part of the project design.

Accomplishments

The project was selected for Phase 1 funding at the January 

2002 CWPPRA Task Force meeting. Construction funding 

for Phase A was approved in October 2004, and construction 

on Phase A began in December 2005. After delays caused 

by emergency work associated with Hurricane Katrina and 

access stipulations set forth by the Louisiana Department of 

Wildlife and Fisheries to protect the nesting brown pelicans 

on the island, Phase A was completed in September 2007. 

In just a few short months, sand began depositing behind 

the new breakwaters, thus creating valuable avian habitat. 

Phase B construction approval was given by the Task Force 

in February 2008, and construction is scheduled to begin in 

summer 2011. This project will prevent the loss of 62 acres 

of beach and saline marsh and create 54 acres of intertidal 

and supratidal marsh.

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 3
3737

Saving the “Last 

Islands”: Whiskey 

Island Back Barrier 

Marsh Creation 

(TE-50)

Whiskey Island and marsh project footprint.

Location

Whiskey Island is located on the southern tip of central 

Louisiana and provides a partial “barrier” between the 

adjacent coastal marsh and the Gulf of Mexico. It is south 

of Houma, La., and is part of a chain locally known as Isles 

Dernieres or “last islands.”

Problems

The Isles Dernieres are one of the most rapidly deteriorating 

barrier shorelines in the United States. Since 1887, the 

Isles Dernieres, once a continuous deltaic headland, have 

fragmented into five islands: Raccoon, Whiskey, Trinity, 

East, and Wine. Area change rates for Whiskey Island 

between 1978 and 1988 have been documented at -31.1 

acres per year. Gulfside and bayside erosion has resulted 

in the narrowing of Whiskey Island and the entire Isles 

Dernieres chain as the two shorelines migrate toward each 

other, resulting in a 68 percent decrease in average width for 

the Isles Dernieres. It is estimated that within 100 years the 

entire above-water portion of the Isles Dernieres is expected 

to disappear except for small land fragments associated with 

the western end of Whiskey Island and the eastern end of 

East Island.

Restoration Strategy

The goal of the project is to increase the longevity of the 

previously restored and natural portions of the island by 

increasing the island’s width via dedicated dredging from 

the Gulf of Mexico. Increasing the island’s width will 

help to retain sand volume and elevation. The area will be 

planted with native marsh vegetation to colonize and protect 

the newly placed marsh soil.

Accomplishments

Approximately 316 acres of back barrier intertidal marsh 

habitat; 5,800 linear feet of tidal creeks; three 1-acre tidal 

ponds; and 13,000 linear feet of protective sand dune 

were created by semiconfined disposal and placement of 

approximately 2.4 million cubic yards of dredged material. 

It is estimated that the project will result in 272 more acres 

after 20 years as compared to the without-project conditions. 

Because the newly created marsh needs time to settle to 

optimal elevation, vegetative plantings are not scheduled to 

occur until the spring or summer of 2010.
38 

Figure 6. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18, Coast 2050 Region 4. Gulf of Mexic

ME

o

-17

ME-23

ME-24

CS-49 CS-32

LA-08

CS-28-5

CS-28-4

CS-28-3

CS-28-2

CS-04a

CS-29

CS-23

ME-04

CS-27

ME-17

ME-16

CS-29

CS-18

CS-29

CS-31

CS-20

CS-17

CS-24

CS-17

ME-22

CS-29

CS-11b

CS-19

CS-22

ME-11

ME-14

CS-28-1

CS-25 CS-09

ME-20

ME-19

CS-17

ME-18

CS-30

CS-21

ME-13

ME-09

ME-21

LA-06

ACADIA ACADIA

JEFFERSON DAVIS JEFFERSON DAVIS

Image Source:

2009 Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 Imagery

Band 5 Mosaic

Produced by:

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

National Wetlands Research Center

Coastal Restoration Field Station

Baton Rouge, La.

Map ID: USGS-NWRC 2010-11-0031

Map Date: March 09, 2010

Data accurate as of March 08, 2010

Lake

Calcasieu Grand

Lake

White

Lake

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Priority Project Lists 1-18 Region 4

1:460,000

7 0 7 14

Miles

7 0 7 14

Kilometers

CWPPRA Project Status

In Engineering and DesignUnder Construction

Region 4 Boundary Construction Completed
39 39

Region 4

Region 4 includes the Calcasieu/Sabine and Mermentau 

hydrologic basins from Freshwater Bayou canal to the 

Sabine River (see figure 6). There are no hurricaneprotection levees to protect inland cities such as Lake 

Charles, so the wetland buffer from storm surge is 

essential for the protection of local municipalities and 

highways. Even Interstate 10, located 30 miles inland, is 

vulnerable to hurricane surge from the Gulf of Mexico. 

This region also includes several coastal communities, 

often used for recreational or commercial fishing bases. 

These communities were severely damaged, with some 

completely destroyed, by Hurricane Rita in 2005. Region 4 

also has numerous oil and gas pipelines connecting to inland 

refineries or interstate natural gas transmission networks.

This region includes several large lakes such as Grand 

Lake, White Lake, Sabine Lake, and Calcasieu Lake, all 

surrounded by marshes. It also includes the Rockefeller 

Wildlife Refuge, Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary, 

Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, and Sabine 

National Wildlife Refuge. The natural landscape is 

dominated by cheniers (forested ridges) and intervening 

wetlands. The region covers 768,210 acres of wetlands. 

Principal causes of land loss in this region include gulf 

shoreline erosion and altered hydrology. Estimates of 

wetland loss from Region 4 indicated that 34,688 acres of 

wetlands were lost between 1990 and 2000 (Hill and Green, 

2005). In the 2005 hurricane season alone, 53,760 acres of 

wetlands converted to open water in this region (Barras, 

2006). Loss of cheniers from erosion and development 

has greatly impacted resting and refueling areas vital to 

migrating neotropical birds that cross the Gulf of Mexico 

twice yearly.

Between 2006 and 2009, the Task Force authorized three 

projects for Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 

4: South Pecan Island Freshwater Introduction (ME-23), 

Southwest Louisiana Gulf Shoreline Nourishment and 

Protection (ME-24), and Cameron-Creole Freshwater 

Introduction (CS-49) (table 6). In this region, one project 

was approved for Phase 2—Construction during 2006–

2009: the Grand Lake Shoreline Protection – Tebo Point 

(ME-21) (table 6).

Additionally, CWPPRA constructed projects during this 

reporting period included the Sabine Refuge Marsh 

Creation Cycles 2 and 3 (CS-28-2 and CS-28-3), Black 

Bayou Culverts Hydrologic Restoration (CS-29), East 

Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration (CS-32), and 

Freshwater Introduction South of Highway 82 (ME-16).

Table 6. CWPPRA projects authorized for Phase 1 and Phase 2 during this reporting period (2006–2009) in Region 4. 

[PPL, Priority Project List; Phase 1—Engineering and Design; Phase 2—Construction] 

Project

Number PPL Project Name Date 

Authorized

Total Net Acres

(Acres Reestablished 

and Protected)

Phase

ME-23 15 South Pecan Island Freshwater Introduction 8-Feb-06 98 1 

ME-24 16 Southwest Louisiana Gulf Shoreline Nourishment and Protection 18-Oct-06 888 1 

CS-49 18 Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction 21-Jan-09 473 1 

ME-21a 11 Grand Lake Shoreline Protection - Tebo Point 15-Feb-07 45 2 

Total Projects: 4 Total Acres = 1,504 
40 

Examples of Projects in Phase 1—Engineering and Design in Region 4

Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction (CS-49)

Location

The project area is located on the east side of Calcasieu Lake 

and west of Gibbstown Bridge and Highway 27.

Problems

Virtually all of the project area marshes have undergone 

increased tidal exchange, saltwater intrusion, and reduced 

freshwater retention resulting from hydrologic changes 

associated with the Calcasieu Ship Channel and the Gulf 

Intracoastal Waterway. In addition, thousands of acres of 

marsh were damaged by Hurricane Rita and again, more 

recently, by Hurricane Ike. Because of human alterations to 

the hydrology, it is unlikely that those marshes will recover 

without comprehensive restoration efforts. The CameronCreole Watershed Project has successfully reduced salinities 

and increased marsh productivity; however, the area remains 

disconnected from freshwater, sediments, and nutrients 

available from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Restoration Strategy

The freshwater introduction project would restore the 

function, value, and sustainability to approximately 

22,247 acres of marsh and open water by improving 

hydrologic conditions via freshwater input and 

increasing organic productivity.

Progress to Date

The project is in Phase 1—Engineering and Design. 

The project team is developing surveying, geotechnical 

investigations, and modeling requirements necessary to 

proceed to 30% design review. The project is scheduled to 

request Phase 2—Construction funding at the January 2012 

Task Force meeting.

Project Status

Approved Date: 2009

Project Area: 22,247 acres

Total Est. Cost: $1.5 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 473 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 524

Project Type: Freshwater Diversion

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 17.

40 
41

Southwest Louisiana Gulf Shoreline Nourishment and Protection (ME-24)

Location

The project is located along the Mermentau Basin in 

Cameron and Vermilion Parishes.

Problems

The Gulf of Mexico’s shoreline in the vicinity of Rockefeller 

Refuge is reportedly eroding at an estimated rate of 35–39 

feet per year.

Restoration Strategy

Approximately 4.9 million cubic yards of sediment will be 

deposited along 47,900 linear feet of gulf shoreline between 

Dewitt Canal and Constance Lake. The result will be to 

create approximately 421 acres of marsh platform, mud flat, 

and shallow water that extend into the gulf.

Progress to Date

The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force approved Phase 1—Engineering 

and Design funding in January 2006. The project delivery 

team has been assembled, and pending development and 

acceptance of a cost share agreement, a kickoff meeting and 

site visit will be planned.

Project Status

Approved Date: 2006

Project Area: 1,244 acres

Total Estimated Cost: $36.9 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 888 acres

Average Annual Habitat Units (AAHU): 311

Project Type: Shoreline Protection

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 16.

 41
42 

Dredged material from the Calcasieu River Ship 

Channel is placed in the Cycle 3 marsh creation 

site via a temporary pipeline.

42 

Restoration Married to 

Maintenance Dredging for 

Coastal Sustainability: 

Sabine Refuge Marsh 

Creation Cycles 2 and 3 

(CS-28-2 and CS-28-3)

Location

This project is located about 20 miles south of Lake Charles 

in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, west of State 

Highway 27 in open water areas west of Browns Lake in 

Cameron Parish.

Problems

The project area is undergoing marsh degradation because 

of saltwater intrusion and freshwater loss. This has resulted 

in the conversion of vegetated intermediate marsh to large, 

shallow open water areas. Salinity migrates into the region 

from the Calcasieu River. Southeast winds push saline waters 

into the project area through canals and bayous. Wind-driven 

waves cause further loss of the remaining marsh fringe.

Restoration Strategy

A permanent dredged-material disposal pipeline 3.57 

miles in length was constructed in Cycle 2. The pipeline 

commenced near mile 13.2 of the Calcasieu River Ship 

Channel and terminated at the northeastern corner of the 

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Much of the right of 

way required for the pipeline was previously impacted by 

the construction of a temporary pipeline used during the 

construction of Cycle 1. The pipeline is to be used for future 

marsh creation projects in conjunction with the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers maintenance dredging of the Calcasieu 

River Ship Channel.

Accomplishments

This project was originally approved as part of the PPL 8 in 

1999. The project was later broken into five cycles. In 2004, 

additional funds for Phase 1—Engineering and Design and 

Phase 2—Construction were approved for Cycle 3, which 

consisted of the creation of 232 acres of marsh platform 

by using material dredged from the Calcasieu River Ship 

Channel. Between February 12 and March 31, 2007, 828,767 

cubic yards of dredged sediment material was placed into 

the Sabine Refuge Cycle 3 marsh creation area. The dredged 

material is contained by earthen dikes. Lower level earthen 

overflow weirs were constructed to assist in the dewatering 

of the marsh creation disposal area and to create fringe 

marsh with the overflow. The placement of the dredged 

material has now been completed for Cycles 2 and 3. 

Cycles 4 and 5 will be started in the near future.

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 4

CS-28-2

CS-28-3
4343

Working with 

Louisiana Highway 

Department To 

Create Healthy Marsh 

Habitats: Black Bayou 

Culverts Hydrologic 

Restoration (CS-29)

Aerial view of the project area.

Location

The project area is located near Lake Charles, east of 

Calcasieu Lake, and includes areas north of the Gulf 

Intracoastal Waterway and west of Grand Lake in 

Cameron Parish; however, the project features are 

located in southern Calcasieu Parish.

Problems

The marsh within this area had been suffering from 

excessive water levels within the lake’s subbasin. This 

high water killed marsh vegetation and prevented the 

growth of desirable annual plant species; additionally, it 

contributes to interior wetland loss and shoreline erosion. 

Prior to the construction of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway 

and the Calcasieu Lock structures, Black Bayou served 

as the natural drainage route for the western edge of the 

Mermentau Basin. With the construction of Louisiana 

Highway 384, the Black Bayou drainage path to the 

Calcasieu River was blocked. In conjunction with the poor 

flood water relief offered by the Calcasieu Lock, the dam 

created in Black Bayou hindered the escape of flood 

waters from the Mermentau Basin.

Restoration Strategy

Project components include ten 10-foot by 10-foot 

concrete box culverts in Black Bayou at its intersection 

with Louisiana Highway 384. These culverts offer relief 

from the extreme water levels. By reopening Black Bayou at 

its intersection with the highway, floodwater is now allowed 

to escape the basin. Saltwater is also prevented from 

entering the basin from the Calcasieu River.

Accomplishments

Black Bayou offers a unique location in the basin where 

the water in the lake’s subbasin and the outer tidal waters 

are separated by only a narrow highway corridor. This 

project was put to the test during the 2008 hurricane season. 

The storm surge from Hurricane Ike pushed water nearly 

all the way to Lake Charles from the coastline. Two days 

before Ike made landfall in Galveston, Tex., the pins were 

pulled on the structure, opening the gates once water levels 

dropped in Calcasieu Lake allowing for the drainage of 

flood waters from the storm.

This project was approved for Phase 1—Engineering 

and Design funding on January 11, 2000, and Phase 2—

Construction funding on August 14, 2003. Construction 

began on May 25, 2005. As part of the construction, 

Highway 384 had to be removed and a temporary road 

installed to properly install the culverts, which took a great 

deal of coordination with the Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development. After significant delays 

due to structural damages that happened during construction 

and two active hurricane seasons, construction was 

completed on December 1, 2009.
4444 

 

Protecting One of 

the Largest National 

Refuges in the Louisiana 

Coastal Zone: East Sabine 

Lake Hydrologic 

Restoration (CS-32)

Location

The project is located southwest of Lake Charles near 

the border of Texas and Louisiana. It is in the western 

portion of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge from refuge 

impoundment Pool 3 westward to the eastern shoreline of 

Sabine Lake in Cameron Parish.

Problems

The fresh and intermediate lower salinity project-area 

marshes are converting to shallow, open water because of 

elevated salinity and subsidence. The larger Sabine-Neches 

Waterway and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and the smaller 

navigation channels provide a direct route for salt water to 

infiltrate the marsh, disrupt the natural water circulation, and 

allow rapid runoff of fresh water. Elevated tidal fluctuations 

in these channels have led to increased water flow, which 

has increased the conversion of marsh to open water. Area 

marsh loss is also caused by wave action along Sabine Lake 

and interior marsh shorelines and by other natural causes (for 

example, subsidence).

Restoration Strategy

The project features included installing (1) a rock weir in 

Pines Ridge Bayou to improve hydrology by mitigating the 

effects of Pines Ridge Canal; (2) three 24-inch-diameter 

culverts with stop logs and flap gates at Bridge Bayou 

to improve hydrology and allow fisheries access; (3) a 

3,000-foot-long segmented rock breakwater with 50 wide 

gaps along the Sabine Lake shoreline at Willow Bayou to 

prevent the bayou from eroding into the lake; (4) a weir at 

the opening at Starks South Canal Section 16 levee; and (5) 

221,000 linear feet (42 miles) of vegetated earthen terraces 

in the eroded marshes adjacent to Greens Lake.

Accomplishments

Phase 1—Engineering and Design began in July 2001 and 

was completed in August 2004; Phase 2—Construction 

began in December 2004 and was completed in August 

2009. The project will protect and restore brackish and 

intermediate marshes over a 6,589-acre area, including 

marshes on Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, one of the 

largest refuges in the Louisiana coastal zone. The 221,000 

linear feet of vegetated earthen terraces, one of the largest 

terrace restoration projects in the world, will restore 127–150 

acres of marsh; the 3,000 linear feet of rock breakwater will 

protect 14 acres and restore 3.4 acres of shoreline over 20 

years; and the water control structures will protect 26 acres 

from being lost for the project life for a total of 156–193 

acres protected and restored.

Examples of Projects Constructed During This Reporting Period in Region 4

Newly created earthen terraces are visited by 

project staff.
4545

Multiple Techniques 

Are Used To Flow 

Fresh Water and 

Reduce Salinities: 

Freshwater Introduction 

South of Highway 82 

(ME-16)

Spray dredging is used to rebuild marshes. 

Location

The project is located on the Louisiana coast halfway 

between Lake Charles and Lafayette. It is in the central and 

eastern portions of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Cameron 

and Vermilion Parishes. It is bounded by Highway 82 to the 

north, the eastern boundary of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 

Unit 6 to the west, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and a 

north-south line south of the eastern boundary of Unit 15 

on the east.

Problems

The Chenier Sub-basin of the Mermentau Basin has 

undergone saltwater intrusion because of a lack of 

freshwater and sediment input from the Lakes Sub-basin, 

resulting in the conversion of healthy marshes to shallow 

open water. Major hydrologic changes in the Mermentau 

Basin occurred with the construction of State Highway 82, 

the impoundment of Grand and White Lakes in the Lakes 

Sub-basin via locks and gates, and the construction of the 

Mermentau River-Gulf of Mexico Navigation Channel, oil 

and gas navigation channels, and levees. Historically, excess 

freshwater from Grand and White Lakes and the Mermentau 

River flowed southward into the Chenier Sub-basin through 

natural bayous. Today, much of the north-to-south flow 

across Highway 82 is restricted by the highway, canals, and 

levees. Within the 24,874-acre project area, marsh losses 

were 12.6, 1.2, and 0.9 percent for the periods 1956–1974, 

1974–1983, and 1983–1990, respectively, for a total of 22 

percent wetland loss within that area from 1932 to 1990.

Restoration Strategy

The project helps direct excess fresh water from the Lakes 

Sub-basin to the Chenier Sub-basin of the Mermentau Basin 

to reduce saltwater impacts to the brackish marshes in the 

southeastern portion of the refuge and adjacent lands. The 

project includes features to move fresh water from White 

Lake south of Highway 82 to marshes in the southeastern 

portion of Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and marsh 

restoration through the construction of earthen terraces.

Accomplishments

The project will protect and restore brackish and 

intermediate marshes over a 20,000-acre area, including 

marshes on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and adjacent 

landowner property. The 26,000 linear feet of vegetated 

earthen terraces will restore 15–18 acres of marsh, and 

the fresh water introduction component will protect 243 

acres of marsh over the project life. The project will return 

part of the Chenier Sub-basin to its natural function as an 

estuary by moving fresh water southward to marshes that 

have become artificially starved of fresh water. It supports a 

major Region 4 Coast 2050 Regional Strategy to introduce 

fresh water across Highway 82. Phase 1—Engineering and 

Design began in September 2000 and was completed in 

August 2004; Phase 2—Construction began in September 

2005 and was completed in December 2006. Over the 20-

year project life, the project is predicted to enhance 15,159 

acres, restore 53 acres, and protect 243 acres of brackish and 

intermediate marsh, thereby benefitting 296 net acres over 

the 20,000-acre project area.
46 
47 47

Demonstration Projects

Although most of the CWPPRA projects are located 

within specific regions, four coastwide demonstration 

projects have been authorized in PPLs 16 through 18. 

Demonstration projects use technologies or methods that 

have not been fully developed for coastal restoration 

in Louisiana. The coastwide demonstration projects 

authorized between 2006 and 2009 include Enhancement 

of Barrier Island Vegetation Demonstration (TE-53), 

Non-Rock Alternatives to Shoreline Protection 

Demonstration (LA-16), Sediment Containment 

System for Marsh Creation Demonstration (LA-09), 

and Bio-Engineered Oyster Reef Demonstration (LA-08).
48 

Example of a Demonstration Project in Phase 1—Engineering and Design

Bio-Engineered Oyster Reef Demonstration (LA-08)

Location

The project is located along the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge 

Gulf of Mexico shoreline west of Joseph Harbor Canal in 

Cameron Parish, La.

Problems

At Rockefeller Refuge, the direct Gulf of Mexico frontage 

and extremely low soil load-bearing capacity (250–330 psf), 

as well as an average shoreline retreat of 30.9 feet per year, 

presents unique engineering challenges with a subsequent 

direct loss of emergent saline marsh.

Restoration Strategy

The goal of this demonstration project is to test a new bioengineered product to address rapid shoreline retreat and 

wetland loss along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline in areas 

with soils of low load-bearing capacity and to evaluate 

the proposed technique as a cost effective technique for 

protecting those types of areas. The demonstration project 

would consist of an oysterbreak, approximately 1,000 

feet long. The oysterbreak is a lightweight, modular shore 

protection device that uses accumulating biomass (an oyster 

reef) to dissipate wave energy. The bio-engineered structure 

is designed to grow rapidly into an open structured oyster 

reef by using specifically designed structural components 

with spat attractant (agricultural byproducts) and enhanced 

nutrient conditions conducive to rapid oyster growth. The 

oysterbreak is constructed by placing modular units into 

an open interlocked configuration. The units are sized to 

be stable under storm wave conditions. The height and 

width of the oysterbreak are designed to achieve a moderate 

initial wave energy reduction. As successive generations 

of encrusting organisms settle on the oysterbreak, the 

structure’s ability to dissipate wave energy increases.

Progress to Date

The cooperative agreement between the National Marine 

Fisheries Service and the Louisiana Department of Natural 

Resources has been executed. The project design report is 

nearing completion.

Project Status

Approved Date: 2007

Project Area: 0 acres

Approved Funds: $1.8 million

Total Estimated Cost: $1.98 million

Net Benefit After 20 Years: 0 acres

Project Type: Shoreline Protection 

Status: Phase 1—Engineering and Design

This project is on Priority Project List 17.

48 
49

Building Floating Marsh: 

Floating Marsh Creation 

Demonstration (LA-05)

Site 1: June 1, 2006, beginning of the project. (Picture 

taken by Jenneke Visser, University of Louisiana at 

Lafayette.)

Location

This project was located in Terrebonne Parish, near the town 

of Houma, on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay 

National Wildlife Refuge. The project location was chosen 

because it is representative of areas of fresh marsh that have 

converted to open water over the last 50 years.

Restoration Strategy

The purpose of the project was to develop methods for 

restoration of open water areas within existing deteriorated 

floating marsh habitats, common in southeastern Louisiana. 

The goal was to field test buoyant vegetated mats or 

artificial floating systems within deteriorated floating marsh 

and other freshwater habitats. The plant used to create this 

marsh is maidcane (Panicum hemitomon), the grass that 

forms natural floating marshes in southeastern Louisiana.

Accomplishments

This project, implemented by the Federal and State sponsors 

through the LSUAg Center scientists under the direction 

of Dr. Charles Sasser, successfully demonstrated that the 

creation of floating marshes in open water areas can be 

effectively accomplished. More specifically:

•	 Establishment with potted plants resulted in quicker 

cover increases than establishment from stems. 

By the end of the first growing season, however, 

differences in cover between establishment 

techniques were small, especially in the sites that 

were established early in the growing season.

•	 P. hemitomon cover decreased during the third 

growing season as the fences that protected it from 

grazing rusted; however, 37 other species colonized 

the created area, and total cover remained high. 

Decreased P. hemitomon and overall cover at the 

southern sites may be related to periodic salinity 

incursions related to tropical storms.

•	 All structures remained buoyant and structurally 

intact in the first two growing seasons. An apparent 

boat strike near the beginning of the third growing 

season affected the buoyancy and structural 

integrity of some of the bamboo structures at one 

site, ultimately leading to the sinking of three 

structures. One string of ten PVC structures 

vanished from a site after Hurricane Gustav, but 

81% of the monitored structures and 100% of the 

unmonitored structures remained intact after four 

growing seasons.

CWPPRA Demonstration Projects in Action

 49
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 

Restoration Act (CWPPRA) has been actively 

reclaiming wetlands and helping to turn the tide 

on land loss for over 20 years. Projects that have 

rebuilt the barrier islands and interior marshes 

and have repaired hydrology have all left a lasting 

mark on the coastal landscape. Since the inception 

of the CWPPRA program, a foundation has been 

laid on which subsequent restoration initiatives 

have been built. Capitalizing on CWPPRA’s 

public planning process, several comprehensive 

restoration plans have been generated and 

widely accepted because of the encouragement 

of public involvement. Government master 

planning documents and ongoing feasibility 

studies have often been born from CWPPRAgenerated project concepts. As well, some projects 

that have been designed through CWPPRA but 

have been unfunded have been adopted and 

constructed through other authorities. This type 

of synergy between funding vehicles is not 

redundant but rather is efficient in pursuing project 

implementation.

In addition to authorizing 144 projects, the 

CWPPRA program remains uniquely committed to 

the understanding and championing of restoration 

science. Together with a rich brain trust of local 

academia, program scientists collect and analyze 

data from CWPPRA projects to evaluate the 

ecologic response from one blade of grass to an 

entire ecosystem. This helps guide managers to 

develop projects by using the most cutting edge 

science to support successful restoration.

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 

Restoration Act is meeting an otherwise unfilled 

niche to build near-term projects in acute, and 

often highly strategic, areas of need. This continues 

to be the program’s greatest asset and contribution 

to turning the tide on Louisiana land loss.

C onclusion

502 

References

 

Barras, J., S. Beville, D. Britsch, S. Hartley, S. Hawes, 

J. Johnston, P. Kemp, Q. Kinler, A. Martucci, J. 

Porthouse, D. Reed, K. Roy, S. Sapkota, and J. 

Suhayda, 2003, Historical and projected coastal 

Louisiana land changes: 1978–2050: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 03–334, 39 pp.

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.

Barras, J.A., 2009, Land area change and overview of 

major hurricane impacts in coastal Louisiana, 2004–

08: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Map 3080, scale 1:250,000, 6 p. pamphlet.

Bellrose, F.C., and Trudeau, N.M., 1988, Wetlands 

and their relationship to migrating and winter 

populations of waterfowl, v. I: Portland, Oreg., 

Timber Press.

Hill, S.M., and M.M. Green, 2005, Coastal Restoration 

Annual Project Reviews: December 2005: Baton 

Rouge, La., Louisiana Department of Natural 

Resources, 95 pp. (Also available at http://lacoast.

gov/reports/apr/2005%20CRD%20Project%20

Reviews.pdf)

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force, 1993, Coastal Wetlands 

Planning, Protection and Restoration Act: Louisiana 

Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan. Main report 

and environmental impact statement: Baton Rouge, 

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force, 156 pp.

Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Conservation and 

Restoration Task Force and the Wetlands 

Conservation and Restoration Authority, 1998, 

Coast 2050—toward a sustainable coastal 

Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of 

Natural Resources, 161 pp.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 

2008, 2007–2008 annual report: Baton Rouge, La., 

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 

accessed June 10, 2009, at http//www.wlf.louisiana.

gov/pdfs/about/07-08AnnualReport.pdf.

Professional Engineering and Surveying Company, 

Inc. (PENSCO), 2004, Survey methodology 

report—West Lake Boudreaux shoreline protection 

and marsh creation project, TE-46: Baton Rouge, 

La., Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 

contract no. 2503–03–15.

52 
Resio, D.T. and J.J. Westerink, 2008, Modeling the 

physics of storm surges: Physics Today, v. 61, issue 

9 (September 2008), accessed June 11, 2009, at 

http://ptonline.aip.org/journals/doc/PHTOAD-ft/

vol_61/iss_9/33_1.shtml.

Steyer, G.D., C.E. Sasser, J.M. Visser, E.M. 

Swensen, J.A. Nyman, and R.C. Raynie, 2003, A 

proposed coast-wide reference monitoring system 

for evaluating wetland restoration trajectories 

in Louisiana: Environmental Monitoring and 

Assessment, v. 81, p. 107–117.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2007, Waterborne 

commerce of the United States, Calendar Year 

2005. Part 5 - National Summaries: Alexandria, Va., 

Institute for Water Resources, U. S. Army Corps of 

Engineers. (Also available at http://www.iwr.usace.

army.mil/ndc/wcsc/pdf/wcusnatl05.pdf.)

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2004, Louisiana 

Coastal Area (LCA), Louisiana Ecosystem 

Restoration Study, November 2004: U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 2,741 p.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2007, Annual Estimates of the 

Population for Counties: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006. 

(Coastal parish population total was calculated on the 

basis of the sum of the populations of the 20 coastal 

parishes: Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, 

Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, 

Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. 

John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, 

Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Vermilion), accessed 

October 2009 at http://www.census.gov/popest/

counties/tables/CO-EST2006-01-22.xls.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2001, West Lake 

Boudreaux shoreline change analysis using ArcMap 

GIS methodology. Robert Dubois project calculations: 

Lafayette, La., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Field 

Office.

Waldemar S. Nelson and Company, Inc., 2002, 

Louisiana Coastal Area Restoration Feasibility Study 

economic linkages literature review. Nelson Project 

No. 20010052: A report to the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, New Orleans District and the Louisiana 

Department of Natural Resources. (Also available at 

http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/D%20R%20S%20Reports/

Feasibility/LA%20Coastal%20Area%20Feasibility%20

Study.pdf.)

 53
54 
55

A

The Task Force has implemented various restoration techniques to protect and restore coastal wetlands 

in Louisiana. The types of techniques used in various CWPPRA projects depend on the problems being 

addressed and other site-specific factors, including project area landscape, substrate, wave climate, habitat 

type, and proximity to sediment and fresh water resources, major waterways, and open waters. Most 

CWPPRA projects employ one or more of the following restoration techniques:

•	 Freshwater Reintroduction Fresh water is channeled from a nearby river or waterbody into 

surrounding wetlands. This infusion of water, sediment, and nutrients helps slow saltwater intrusion, 

slows the loss of marsh, and creates a limited amount of new marsh.

•	 Outfall Management A variety of techniques are used to regulate the flow of freshwater 

reintroduction to ensure that water and sediment reach needed areas. These techniques maximize the 

benefits of freshwater reintroduction.

•	 Sediment Diversion A controlled gap (called a crevasse) is cut into a river levee, allowing river water, 

nutrients, and sediment to flow into nearby wetlands and mimic natural land-building processes.

•	 Dredged Material/Marsh Creation Dredged sediment is placed at specified elevations in shallow 

open water and deteriorating marsh, high enough to encourage plant recolonization.

•	 Shoreline Protection Eroding shorelines are protected by buttressing the land with rock berms, 

concrete, plantings, or by diffusing wave energy in front of the shore by using breakwaters 

and/or fences.

•	 Sediment and Nutrient Trapping Brush fences or low land ridges (terraces) are built to slow water 

flow and promote sediment accumulation.

•	 Hydrologic Restoration Natural drainage patterns are restored as much as possible by blocking 

dredged canals and cutting gaps in artificial levees.

•	 Marsh Management The water level and salinity in a contained marsh area are controlled by 

levees and gates or weirs to promote the regrowth of desired vegetation and reestablish historical 

wildlife habitat.

•	 Barrier Island Restoration Several methods are used to stabilize and protect islands, including 

shoring up dunes with fences and vegetative plantings, rebuilding islands with dredged material, and 

using breakwaters to protect islands from waves.

•	 Vegetative Planting Site-appropriate marsh plants are established in project areas to reduce erosion, 

stabilize the soil, and accelerate wildlife habitat development.

•	 Terracing Terracing is construction of low ridges, usually in patterns, which enclose open water areas. 

The ridges slow water flow and help trap sediment to rebuild marsh.

•	 Long-Distance Conveyance of Dredged Material This technique is similar to other marsh creation 

techniques except different techniques are utilized to transport sediment greater distances, often by 

using booster pumps.

•	 Invasive Species Control Program A control program pays licensed trappers/hunters to harvest 

invasive species, such as nutria, that damage the marsh.

•	 Delta Management Wetland creation on active deltas can be enhanced by altering flow patterns 

promoting land accretion.

 ppendix 1. Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection

and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) Project Types

55 
 ppendix 2. Complete List of Coastal Wetlands 

Planning, Protection and Restoration Act A

 (CWPPRA) Projects Authorized Since 1990

 [PPL, Priority Project List; NRCS, Natural Resources Conservation Service; CPRA, State of Louisiana, Coastal

Protection and Restoration Authority; NMFS, National Marine Fisheries Service; COE, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; 

EPA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; USFWS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service]

Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

Alligator Bend Marsh Restoration and 

Shoreline Protection PO-34 Marsh Creation NRCS, CPRA 1 16

Atchafalaya Sediment Delivery AT-02 Hydrologic Restoration, Marsh 

Creation, Dredged Material NMFS, CPRA 3 2

Avoca Island Diversion and Land Building TE-49 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 3 12

Barataria Barrier Island Complex Project: 

Pelican Island and Pass La Mer to Chaland 

Pass Restoration

BA-38 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 2 11

Barataria Basin Landbridge Shoreline 

Protection, Phase 3 BA-27c Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 9

Barataria Basin Landbridge Shoreline 

Protection, Phase 4 BA-27d Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 11

Barataria Basin Landbridge Shoreline 

Protection, Phases 1 and 2 BA-27 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 7

Barataria Bay Waterway East Side Shoreline 

Protection BA-26 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 6

Barataria Bay Waterway West Side Shoreline 

Protection BA-23 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 4

Barataria Bay Waterway Wetland Restoration BA-19 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 2 1

Bayou Bienvenue Pump Station Diversion and 

Terracing (Deauthorized) PO-25 Terracing NMFS, CPRA 1 8

Bayou Boeuf Pump Station (Deauthorized) TE-33 Hydrologic Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 6

Bayou Chevee Shoreline Protection PO-22 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 1 5

Bayou Dupont Marsh and Ridge Creation BA-48 Marsh Creation NMFS, CPRA 2 17

Bayou LaBranche Wetland Creation PO-17 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 1 1

Bayou Lafourche Siphon (Deauthorized) BA-25 Freshwater Diversion EPA, CPRA 5

Bayou Lamoque Freshwater Diversion BS-13 Freshwater Diversion COE, EPA, 

CPRA 2 15

Bayou L’Ours Ridge Hydrologic Restoration 

(Deauthorized) BA-22 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 2 4

Bayou Perot/Bayou Rigolettes Marsh 

Restoration (Deauthorized) BA-21 Marsh Creation NMFS, CPRA 2 3

Bayou Sale Shoreline Protection TV-20 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 3 13

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge 

Hydrologic Restoration, Phase 1 PO-16 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 1 1

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge 

Hydrologic Restoration, Phase 2 PO-18 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 1 2

Beneficial Use of Hopper Dredged Material 

Demonstration (Deauthorized) MR-08 Demonstration COE, CPRA 2 4

Benneys Bay Diversion MR-13 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 2 10

56 
Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

Bertrandville Siphon BS-18 Freshwater Diversion EPA, CPRA 2 18

Big Island Mining AT-03 Hydrologic Restoration, Marsh 

Creation, Dredged Material NMFS, CPRA 3 2

Bio-Engineered Oyster Reef Demo LA-08 Demonstration NMFS, CPRA 4 17

Black Bayou Culverts Hydrologic Restoration CS-29 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 9

Black Bayou Hydrologic Restoration CS-27 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 4 6

Bohemia Mississippi River Reintroduction BS-15 Freshwater Diversion EPA, CPRA 2 17

Boston Canal/Vermilion Bay Bank Protection TV-09 Shoreline Protection, Vegetative 

Planting NRCS, CPRA 3 2

Brady Canal Hydrologic Restoration TE-28 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 3 3

Brown Lake Hydrologic Restoration CS-09 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 2

Caernarvon Diversion Outfall Management BS-03a Outfall Management NRCS, CPRA 2 2

Caernarvon Outfall Management/Lake Lery 

Shoreline Restoration BS-16 Outfall Management USFWS, CPRA 2 17

Cameron Creole Plugs CS-17 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 4 1

Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge 

Shoreline Protection ME-09 Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 4 1

Cameron-Creole Freshwater Introduction CS-49 Freshwater Diversion NRCS, CPRA 4 18

Cameron-Creole Maintenance CS-04a Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 3

Castille Pass Channel Sediment Delivery AT-04 Water Diversion NMFS, CPRA 3 9

Central Terrebonne Freshwater Enhancement TE-66 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 3 18

Chandeleur Islands Marsh Restoration PO-27 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 1 9

Channel Armor Gap Crevasse MR-06 Sediment Diversion COE, CPRA 2 3

Cheniere Au Tigre Sediment Trapping 

Demonstration TV-16 Demonstration, Sediment and Nutrient Trapping NRCS, CPRA 3 6

Cheniere Ronquille Barrier Island Restoration BA-76 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 2 19

Clear Marais Bank Protection CS-22 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 4 2

Coastwide Nutria Control Program LA-03b Herbivory Control NRCS, CPRA 2 11

Coastwide Reference Monitoring System CRMS Monitoring CPRA, USGS

Compost Demonstration (Deauthorized) CS-26 Demonstration EPA, CPRA 4 4

Cote Blanche Hydrologic Restoration TV-04 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 3 3

Dedicated Dredging on the Barataria Basin 

Landbridge BA-36 Marsh Creation USFWS, CPRA 2 11

Delta Building Diversion at Myrtle Grove BA-33 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 2 10

Delta Building Diversion North of Fort St. 

Philip BS-10 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 2 10

Delta Management at Fort St. Philip BS-11 Sediment and Nutrient Trapping, 

Outfall Management USFWS, CPRA 2 10

Delta Wide Crevasses MR-09 Water Diversion NMFS, CPRA 2 6

 57
Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

Dewitt-Rollover Vegetative Plantings 

Demonstration (Deauthorized) ME-08 Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 4 1

Dustpan Maintenance Dredging Operation for 

Marsh Creation in the Mississippi River 

Delta Demonstration

MR-10 Demonstration, Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 2 6

East Marsh Island Marsh Creation TV-21 Marsh Creation NRCS, EPA, 

CPRA 3 14

East Mud Lake Marsh Management CS-20 Marsh Management NRCS, CPRA 4 2

East Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration CS-32 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, USFWS, 

CPRA 4 10

East Timbalier Island Sediment Restoration, 

Phase 1 TE-25 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 3 3

East Timbalier Island Sediment Restoration, 

Phase 2 TE-30 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 3 4

East/West Grand Terre Islands Restoration BA-30 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 2 9

Eden Isles East Marsh Restoration 

(Deauthorized) PO-21 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 1 4

Enhancement of Barrier Island Vegetation 

Demonstration TE-53 Demonstration, Vegetative Planting EPA, CPRA 3 16

Falgout Canal Planting Demonstration TE-17 Demonstration, Shoreline Protection, 

Vegetative Planting NRCS, CPRA 3 1

Floating Marsh Creation Demonstration LA-05 Demonstration, Marsh Creation NRCS, CPRA 2 12

Flotant Marsh Fencing Demonstration 

(Deauthorized) TE-31 Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 3 4

Four Mile Canal Terracing and Sediment 

Trapping TV-18 Sediment and Nutrient Trapping NMFS, CPRA 3 9

Fourchon Hydrologic Restoration 

(Deauthorized) BA-18 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 3 1

Freshwater Bayou Bank Stabilization ME-13 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 5

Freshwater Bayou Bank Stabilization - Belle 

Isle Canal to Lock TV-11b Shoreline Stabilization COE, CPRA 3 9

Freshwater Bayou Marsh Creation ME-31 Marsh Creation NRCS, CPRA 4 19

Freshwater Bayou Wetland Protection ME-04 Hydrologic Restoration, Shoreline 

Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 2

Freshwater Introduction South of Highway 82 ME-16 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 4 9

Fritchie Marsh Restoration PO-06 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 1 2

GIWW - Perry Ridge West Bank Stabilization CS-30 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 9

GIWW (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) to 

Clovelly Hydrologic Restoration BA-02 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 2 1

GIWW Bank Restoration of Critical Areas in 

Terrebonne TE-43 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 3 10

Goose Point/Point Platte Marsh Creation PO-33 Marsh Creation USFWS, CPRA 1 13

Grand Bay Crevasse (Deauthorized) BS-07 Sediment Diversion COE, CPRA 2 4

Grand Bayou/GIWW Freshwater Diversion TE-10 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 3 5

Grand Lake Shoreline Protection, O&M Only 

[CIAP] ME-21b Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 4 11

Grand Lake Shoreline Protection, Tebo Point ME-21a Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 4 11

Grand Liard Marsh and Ridge Restoration BA-68 Marsh Creation NMFS, CPRA 2 18

Grand-White Lakes Landbridge Protection ME-19 Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 4 10

Highway 384 Hydrologic Restoration CS-21 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 2

58 
Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

Holly Beach Sand Management CS-31 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 11

Hopedale Hydrologic Restoration PO-24 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 1 8

Humble Canal Hydrologic Restoration ME-11 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 8

Isles Dernieres Restoration East Island TE-20 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 1

Isles Dernieres Restoration Trinity Island TE-24 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 2

Jonathan Davis Wetland Protection BA-20 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 2 2

LA Highway 1 Marsh Creation (Deauthorized) BA-29 Marsh Creation EPA, CPRA 2 9

LaBranche East Marsh Creation PO-75 Marsh Creation NRCS, CPRA 1 19

LaBranche Wetlands Terracing, Planting, and 

Shoreline Protection PO-28 Terracing NMFS, CPRA 1 9

Lake Borgne and MRGO Shoreline Protection PO-32 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 1 12

Lake Borgne Shoreline Protection PO-30 Shoreline Protection EPA, CPRA 1 10

Lake Chapeau Sediment Input and Hydrologic 

Restoration, Point Au Fer Island TE-26 Hydrologic Restoration, Marsh Creation NMFS, CPRA 3 3

Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation BA-42 Marsh Creation USFWS, CPRA 2 15

Lake Portage Land Bridge TV-17 Shoreline Protection NRCS, EPA, 

CPRA 3 8

Lake Salvador Shore Protection Demonstration BA-15 Demonstration, Shoreline Protection NMFS, CPRA 2 3

Little Lake Shoreline Protection/ Dedicated 

Dredging Near Round Lake BA-37 Marsh Creation, Shoreline Protection NMFS, CPRA 2 11

Little Pecan Bayou Hydrologic Restoration ME-17 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 4 9

Little Vermilion Bay Sediment Trapping TV-12 Shoreline Protection, Sediment 

Trapping NMFS, CPRA 3 5

Lost Lake Marsh Creation and Hydrologic 

Restoration TE-72 Marsh Creation USFWS, CPRA 3 19

Lower Bayou LaCache Hydrologic Restoration 

(Deauthorized) TE-19 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 3 1

Madison Bay Marsh Creation and Terracing TE-51 Marsh Creation NMFS, CPRA 3 16

Mandalay Bank Protection Demonstration TE-41 Demonstration, Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 3 9

Marsh Creation East of the Atchafalaya River - 

Avoca Island (Deauthorized) TE-35 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 3 6

Marsh Island Hydrologic Restoration TV-14 Hydrologic Restoration COE, CPRA 3 6

Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) 

Disposal Area Marsh Protection PO-19 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 1 3

Mississippi River Reintroduction Into Bayou 

Lafourche BA-25b Freshwater Diversion EPA, CPRA 3 5

Mississippi River Reintroduction Into 

Northwest Barataria Basin BA-34 Freshwater Diversion EPA, CPRA 2 10

Mississippi River Sediment Delivery System - 

Bayou Dupont BA-39 Marsh Creation, Dredged Material EPA, CPRA 2 12

Mississippi River Sediment Trap MR-12 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 2 12

Myrtle Grove Siphon BA-24 Freshwater Diversion NMFS, CPRA 2 5

Naomi Outfall Management BA-03c Outfall Management NRCS, CPRA 2 5

New Cut Dune and Marsh Restoration TE-37 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 9

Non-Rock Alternatives to Shoreline Protection 

Demonstration LA-16 Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 18

North Lake Boudreaux Basin Freshwater 

Introduction and Hydrologic Management TE-32a Water Diversion USFWS, CPRA 3 6

 59
Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

North Lake Mechant Landbridge Restoration TE-44 Marsh Creation, Vegetative Planting, 

Dredged Material USFWS, CPRA 3 10

Nutria Harvest for Wetland Restoration 

Demonstration LA-03a Demonstration, Herbivory Control USFWS, CPRA 2 6

Oaks/Avery Canal Hydrologic Restoration, 

Increment 1 TV-13a Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 3 6

Opportunistic Use of the Bonnet Carre 

Spillway PO-26 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 1 9

Pass Chaland to Grand Bayou Pass Barrier 

Shoreline Restoration BA-35 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 2 11

Pass-a-Loutre Crevasse (Deauthorized) MR-07 Sediment Diversion COE, CPRA 2 3

Pecan Island Terracing ME-14 Sediment and Nutrient Trapping NMFS, CPRA 4 7

Penchant Basin Natural Resources Plan, 

Increment 1 TE-34 Hydrologic Restoration NRCS, CPRA 3 6

Periodic Introduction of Sediment and 

Nutrients at Selected Diversion Sites 

Demonstration (Deauthorized)

MR-11 Demonstration, Water Diversion COE, CPRA 1 9

Perry Ridge Shore Protection CS-24 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 4

Plowed Terraces Demonstration CS-25 Demonstration, Sediment and 

Nutrient Trapping NRCS, CPRA 4 4

Point Au Fer Canal Plugs TE-22 Hydrologic Restoration, Shoreline 

Stabilization NMFS, CPRA 3 2

Raccoon Island Breakwaters Demonstration TE-29 Barrier Island Restoration, 

Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 3 5

Raccoon Island Shoreline Protection/Marsh 

Creation TE-48 Marsh Creation, Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 3 11

Red Mud Demonstration (Deauthorized) PO-20 Demonstration EPA, CPRA 1 3

Replace Sabine Refuge Water Control 

Structures at Headquarters Canal, West 

Cove Canal, and Hog Island Gully

CS-23 Marsh Management USFWS, CPRA 4 3

River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp PO-29 Water Diversion EPA, CPRA 1 11

Riverine Sand Mining/Scofield Island 

Restoration BA-40 Barrier Island Restoration NMFS, CPRA 2 14

Rockefeller Refuge Gulf Shoreline 

Stabilization ME-18 Shoreline Protection NMFS, CPRA 4 10

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge Erosion 

Protection CS-18 Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 4 1

Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation Cycle 1 CS-28-1 Marsh Creation COE, USFWS, 

CPRA 4 8

Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation Cycle 3 CS-28-3 Marsh Creation COE, USFWS, 

CPRA 4 8

Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation, Cycle 2 CS-28-2 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 4 8

Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation, Cycle 4 CS-28-4 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 4 8

Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation, Cycle 5 CS-28-5 Marsh Creation COE, CPRA 4 8

Sediment Containment System for Marsh 

Creation Demonstration LA-09 Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 17

Sediment Trapping at “The Jaws” TV-15 Sediment and Nutrient Trapping NMFS, CPRA 3 6

Ship Shoal: Whiskey West Flank Restoration TE-47 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 11

Shoreline Protection Foundation 

Improvements Demonstration LA-06 Demonstration, Shoreline Stabilization COE, CPRA 2 13

South Grand Chenier Hydrologic Restoration 

Project ME-20 Hydrologic Restoration USFWS, CPRA 4 11

South Lake De Cade Freshwater Introduction TE-39 Freshwater Diversion, Shoreline 

Protection NRCS, CPRA 3 9

60 
Name Number Type Sponsors Subprovince PPL

South Pecan Island Freshwater Introduction ME-23 Hydrologic Restoration NMFS, CPRA 4 15

South Shore of the Pen Shoreline Protection 

and Marsh Creation BA-41 Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 2 14

South White Lake Shoreline Protection ME-22 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 4 12

Southwest LA Gulf Shoreline Nourishment 

and Protection ME-24 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 4 16

Southwest Shore White Lake Demonstration 

(Deauthorized) ME-12 Demonstration NRCS, CPRA 4 3

Spanish Pass Diversion MR-14 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 2 13

Storm Recovery Assessment Fund SRAF Operation and Monitoring USGS

Sweet Lake/Willow Lake Hydrologic 

Restoration CS-11b Shoreline Protection NRCS, CPRA 4 5

Terrebonne Bay Shore Protection 

Demonstration TE-45 Demonstration, Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 3 10

Thin Mat Floating Marsh Enhancement 

Demonstration TE-36 Demonstration, Marsh Enhancement NRCS, CPRA 3 7

Timbalier Island Dune and Marsh Creation TE-40 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 9

Timbalier Island Planting Demonstration TE-18

Barrier Island Restoration, 

Demonstration, Vegetative 

Planting

NRCS, CPRA 3 1

Upper Oak River Freshwater Siphon, Phase 1 

(Deauthorized) BS-09 Terracing NRCS, CPRA 2 8

Vegetative Plantings of a Dredged Material 

Disposal Site on Grand Terre Island BA-28 Vegetative Planting NMFS, CPRA 2 7

Venice Ponds Marsh Creation and Crevasses MR-15 Marsh Creation, Water Diversion EPA, CPRA 2 15

Vermilion River Cutoff Bank Protection TV-03 Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 3 1

Violet Freshwater Distribution (Deauthorized) PO-09a Outfall Management NRCS, CPRA 1 3

Weeks Bay Marsh Creation and Shore 

Protection/Commercial Canal Freshwater 

Redirection

TV-19 Marsh Creation, Shoreline Protection COE, CPRA 3 9

West Bay Sediment Diversion MR-03 Water Diversion COE, CPRA 2 1

West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration TE-52 Marsh Creation, Barrier Headland COE, NMFS 3 16

West Belle Pass Headland Restoration TE-23 Shoreline Protection, Dredged 

Material COE, CPRA 3 2

West Hackberry Vegetative Planting 

Demonstration CS-19 Demonstration, Sediment Trapping, Vegetative Planting NRCS, CPRA 4 1

West Lake Boudreaux Shoreline Protection 

and Marsh Creation TE-46 Marsh Creation, Shoreline Protection USFWS, CPRA 3 11

West Pointe a la Hache Outfall Management BA-04c Hydrologic Restoration, Outfall 

Management NRCS, CPRA 2 3

West Pointe a la Hache Outfall Management BA-47 Marsh Creation NRCS, CPRA 2 17

Whiskey Island Back Barrier Marsh Creation TE-50 Barrier Island Restoration, Marsh 

Creation EPA, CPRA 3 13

Whiskey Island Restoration TE-27 Barrier Island Restoration EPA, CPRA 3 3

White Ditch Diversion Restoration and Outfall 

Management BS-12 Water Diversion, Outfall Management NRCS, CPRA 2 14

White’s Ditch Outfall Management 

(Deauthorized) BS-04a Outfall Management NRCS, CPRA 2 3

 61
 oastal Wetlands Planning, Protection 

 and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)

Providing Effective Coastal Restoration Solutions for Louisiana Since 1990

CWPPRA Web site: http://LaCoast.gov

C