The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved a final plan including construction activities for the restoration of wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats injured in the Louisiana Restoration Area as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It is estimated that these projects will restore almost 4,500 acres of marsh and more than 130 acres of ridge habitats in the Barataria and Pontchartrain basins.
The plan analyzes restoration project design alternatives for two projects that are components of larger marsh restoration strategies, and were approved for engineering and design in a previous restoration plan. We have selected and approved a design alternative for construction of each, with a combined construction cost of approximately $214,932,290.
Spanish Pass Project
The Spanish Pass project is a component of an overall large-scale restoration strategy for the Barataria Basin that will re-establish ridge and intertidal marsh habitats degraded due to:
- Sea level rise
- Land subsidence
- Diminished sediment supply
- Storm events
The primary goal of the Spanish Pass increment in this plan is to create and nourish approximately 132 acres of historical ridge and 1,683 acres of marsh. This plan approves an estimated cost of approximately $100.3 million for:
- Construction
- Engineering and design
- Operations and maintenance
- Monitoring and adaptive management
Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project
The Lake Borgne Marsh Creation - Increment One project is also a component of an overall large-scale restoration strategy for the Pontchartrain Basin that will reestablish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat.
This increment will create an estimated 2,816 acres of restored marsh habitat at an estimated cost of approximately $114.7 million. This plan approved funding for:
- Engineering and design
- Construction
- Operations and maintenance
- Monitoring and adaptive management
We released the draft restoration plan in October 2019 and accepted public comment through November 20, 2019.
More information:
- Final Phase 2 Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #1.2: Barataria Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation Project Spanish Pass Increment and Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project Increment One - Includes Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plans, and Finding of No Significant Impact (PDF, 154 pages)
- Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan for the Spanish Pass Project (PDF, 20 pages)
- Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan for the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project (PDF, 21 pages)