See the projects in Louisiana’s coastal master plan

Louisiana’s draft 2023 coastal plan requires spending $50 billion over the following half century to construct a slew of coastal restoration and flood safety initiatives and cut back annual storm surge injury by as a lot as $15 billion. 

The state would save a median of $11,000 in damages per construction by 2073 beneath the plan’s decrease threat state of affairs and $15,000 in damages per construction beneath its increased threat state of affairs. 

Half of the plan’s cash can be spent within the subsequent 20 years on initiatives which are instantly wanted and are most probably to be funded. The second half of its cash can be spent within the following 30 years on initiatives that also should be deliberate or funded, or that will solely be enacted if water ranges rise additional.  

The restoration funding, divided amongst seven classes, consists of:

• $230 million for initiatives geared toward bettering the movement of water into and thru wetlands;
• $2.5 billion for initiatives that embrace barrier island upkeep and restore and native methods, like financial institution stabilization and oyster reef restoration;

• $37 million for initiatives geared toward creating velocity bumps of barely increased land inside marsh and wetland areas to scale back erosion and gradual storm surges;
• $16 billion for marsh creation initiatives;

•  $2.9 billion for initiatives geared toward constructing or restoring wider land stretches utilizing sediment dredged from rivers and bays, and geared toward restoring or creating increased floor that will help adjoining wetlands, embrace wetlands themselves, and cut back storm surge peak;
• $2.7 billion for each freshwater and sediment diversions;
• $640 million for built-in initiatives, which mix options from a number of challenge varieties into one built-in idea.

The flood threat discount funds embrace two classes:

• $14 billion for structural threat discount initiatives, together with levees, floodwalls and gates.
• And $11 billion for so-called “nonstructural threat discount,” combos of elevating properties above anticipated future base flood elevation ranges or buyouts in flood zones, and floodproofing of business constructions.

The nonstructural initiatives don’t present up as particular person initiatives within the grasp plan, as they typically are recognized on a building-by-building foundation on a neighborhood scale and are funded by packages by which the Coastal Safety and Restoration Authority will not be concerned. 

An exception has been the Southwest Coastal Louisiana challenge, funded by the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers. The challenge is being funded with $296 million to deal with elevation, floodproofing or doable relocation for greater than 3,900 constructions within the Lake Charles area. The Corps additionally expects to fund  elevations or floodproofing of about 8,500 constructions in St. Tammany Parish.

Different nonstructural initiatives are anticipated to be overseen by the state Workplace of Neighborhood Improvement or the Governor’s Workplace of Homeland Safety and Preparedness, since funding for them typically is given to the state after pure disasters, together with hurricanes and main flood occasions. 

The brand new plan divides the coast into 5 segments, in comparison with the three areas used within the 2017 model. This is a fast have a look at the most important initiatives deliberate: 

Pontchartrian/Breton

This area consists of areas on the east financial institution of the Mississippi River from Ascension Parish by Plaquemines Parish, together with the New Orleans space and the north shore, together with Slidell. The plan requires development of 18 restoration initiatives and 4 levee and surge barrier initiatives that can price $11.6 billion. 

• Lake Pontchartrain Barrier in New Orleans and Slidell, $2.4 billion, will embrace closure gates and weirs constructed to an elevation of two toes above sea degree throughout the passes at Chef Menteur and the Rigolets to scale back hurricane surge heights affecting south shore and north shore communities alongside the lake.
• Slidell ring levees, $420 million, included in a broader Military Corps of Engineers plan for north shore flood threat discount, features a 16.5-mile mixture of earthen levee, concrete T-wall, and 4 gates across the metropolis constructed to heights of between 13 and 17 toes.
• Braithwaite to White Ditch hurricane levee in Plaquemines Parish, $440 million, to raise the non-federal levee to about 15 toes above sea degree, which might present safety from 100-year surges to communities behind it.
• St. James-Ascension Parishes Storm Surge Safety, $730 million, within the second implementation section that begins in 2044. An upriver extension of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain levee system, this challenge consists of about 28 miles of earthen levee and concrete T-wall constructed to 16 toes, gates and culverts, and 4 pump stations, to offer safety from hurricane surge flooding from Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain.
• Higher Basin Diversion Program – Pontchartrain, $760 million. The projet requires various diversions to ship freshwater and sediment into swamps of the western Pontchartrain basin. Diversions shall be evaluated to see how they are often operated at the side of different deliberate and accomplished diversions to keep up swamps, and coastal marshes and to assist with Mississippi River flood management, with the research figuring out whether or not a number of diversions shall be added within the basin. 
• New Orleans East Marsh Creation, $1.1 billion, in second implementation interval, would create new marsh in a forty five sq. mile space adjoining to the New Orleans East Landbridge Marsh Creation challenge. 
• Pointe a la Hache and Carlisle Marsh creation, $860 million, create new marsh alongside the east aspect of the Mississippi River from White Ditch to Bohemia.
• North and East Lake Lery Marsh Creation Mission, $890 million, in second implementation interval, woulld create about 22 sq. miles of recent wetland habitat, restore degraded marsh and cut back wave erosion.

Barataria

The Barataria area stretches between the west financial institution of the Mississippi and the east financial institution of Bayou Lafourche, and consists of elements of 9 parishes, Assumption, Ascension, St. James, Lafourche, St. John the Baptist, St. Charles, Jefferson, Plaquemines and Orleans.

The plan requires 10 restoration and two levee initiatives, totaling $6.7 billion. Listed here are just a few: 

• Lafitte Ring Levee, $1.4 billion, in implementation section 2. The current system, 7.5-feet excessive, can be expanded to incorporate greater than 28 miles of levees and floodwalls elevated to 16 toes. The challenge would come with two barge gates and a curler gate.
• Higher Barataria Threat Discount levee system, $510 million. This lately licensed system expands levees within the west financial institution of St. Charles Parish to increase alongside U.S. 90 to Raceland. It consists of greater than 38 miles of earthen levees and concrete T-walls, a barge gate, two curler gates, six sluice gates, and pump station enhancements. 
• East Bayou Lafourche Marsh Creation, $1.3 billion, consists of creation of marsh inside a 52-square-mile space east of Bayou Lafourche and alongside the Caminada headland on the Gulf Coast. 
• Decrease Barataria Landbridge-East, $840 million, within the second implementation interval. Contains creating about 11 sq. miles of marsh, a lot in areas deeper than 2.5 toes, from Bayou Dogris to Port Sulphur. The challenge additionally consists of about 25 miles of shorelie revetments to scale back erosion, and channel armoring to keep up present dimensions within the Wilkinson Canal, Wilkison Bayou, Bay Chene Fleur, in channels north of Bay Batist, Two Sisters Bayou, Scocia Canal and Grand Bayou. 
• Higher Basin Diversion Program – Barataria, $750 million. A sister to the same Pontchartrain program, the projet requires various diversions to ship freshwater and sediment into swamps of the higher Barataria Basin. Diversions shall be evaluated to see how they are often operated at the side of different deliberate and accomplished diversions to keep up swamps, and coastal marshes and to assist with Mississippi River flood management, with the research figuring out whether or not a number of diversions shall be added within the basin.

Terrebonne

The Terrebonne area extends from the Verret Basin within the north to the Isles Dernieres and Timbalier Islands alongside the Gulf, and from the west aspect of Bayou Lafourche to the Atchafalaya Basin Floodway. 

The plan requires 13 restoration and three levee initiatives totaling $11.3 billion. Listed here are a few of them:

• Morganza to the Gulf, $3.9 billion, to finish about 90 miles of the hurricane levee system that protects the Houma area.
• Amelia Levee Enhancements, $840 million, in second implementation interval starting in 2044, would elevate about 5 1/2 miles of levee and T-wall, with the levee constructed to about 18 toes. The challenge consists of a number of barge gates, swing gates and different gates.
• Larose to Golden Meadow, $500 million, in second implementation interval, to maintain this 50-mile levee and floodwall system elevated to a 100-year safety degree, requiring levees to be elevated to between 12 and 21 toes.   
• West Terrebonne Marsh Creation Mission, $1.5 billion, creating new marsh in a 34-square-mile space between Caillou Lake and Caillou Bay. 
• Belle Move-Golden Meadow Marsh Creation, $1.2 billion, creating new marsh in a 45-square-mile space from Belle Move to Golden Meadow.  
• Japanese Terrebonne Landbridge – West and Central challenge, $1 billion, consists of filling areas deeper than 2.5 toes to create marsh stretching from Bayou Pointe-aux-Chênes to the south LafourcheLevee close to Catfish Lake. Mission consists of including practically 6 miles of shoreline revetment and channel armoring, and restoring greater than 8 miles of the Bayou Pointe-aux-Chênes ridge.

Central Coast

This area consists of shallow coastal bays between the Atchafalaya Floodway levee and Fourleague Bay to the east, and Freshwater Bayou to the west and stretches inland to the decrease reaches of the Atchafalaya Floodway.

• Iberia/St. Mary Upland Levee, $1.7 billion. This challenge, which is able to cut back flood injury in New Iberia, Jeanrette and the Port of New Iberia, consists of simply over 31 miles of earthen levee and concrete T-wall that shall be constructed to elevations of between 15.5 and 20 toes within the two parishes between the Delcambre and Cherenton canals. It additionally consists of seven pump stations and a wide range of gates.
• Abbeville and Neighborhood hurricane levee, $610 million, in second implementation section starting in 2044. Contains simply over 19 miles of levee and T-wall south of Delcambre, Erath and Abbeville, roughly following La. 330.
• Franklin and Neighborhood, $310 million, in second implementation section, consists of enhancements of 40 miles of earthen levee from the Wax Lake Outlet to the Charenton Canal, and can enhance flood safety for the city of Franklin and surrounding communities.
• Marsh Island Barrier Marsh Creation, $710 million, to create marsh in an 8,200 acre space on Level Au Fer Island.

Chenier Plain

This southwest Louisiana area consists of elements of Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion parishes, and consists of the Calcasieu Ship Channel and Lake Charles. 

• East Pecan Island Marsh Creation, $650 million, will create new marsh in a 19-square-mile space between Pecan Island and the Freshwater Bayou Canal in Vermilion Parish.  
• West Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation, $640 million within the second implementation interval, and West Sabine Refuge Marsh Creation – Central, $130 million, within the first interval. These initiatives will create new marsh in east of Sabine Lake in Cameron Parish to create new habitat and cut back wave erosion.

A grasp plan knowledge viewer is also obtainable on-line.

A PDF model of the plan is obtainable under: 

This work is supported with a grant funded by the Walton Household Basis and administered by the Society of Environmental Journalists.