The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group approved the release of an additional $2,631,250 in funding for ridge and marsh creation activities covered under our first post-settlement restoration plan.
The Final Restoration Plan #1: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats; Habitat Projects on Federally Managed Lands; and Birds (PDF, 85 pg) included engineering and design activities for six restoration projects and had a total estimated cost of $22,300,000. As work has proceeded, we found that additional funds are required to complete the engineering and design work for the Spanish Pass Increment of the Barataria Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation and the Bayou Terrebonne Increment of the Terrebonne Ridge and Marsh Creation projects. The new cost for Restoration Plan #1 is $24,931,250.
The Louisiana Trustees originally allocated $4,500,000 for engineering and design for the Spanish Pass Project and $3,000,000 for the Bayou Terrebonne Project. The funds were allocated for engineering and design, which includes, planning, engineering, project design, contingencies, permitting, environmental compliance, land rights investigation, and Implementing Trustee administration and oversight activities.
Additional funding for the Spanish Pass Project includes funding to evaluate a source of fill for the project, which if selected, could reduce overall construction costs. Additional funding for the Bayou Terrebonne Project includes funding to investigate land rights issues associated with a greater number of property owners than was originally anticipated. The revised cost for these activities is $4,786,250 for the Spanish Pass Project and $5,345,000 for the Bayou Terrebonne Project.
To learn more about these projects and others, visit our interactive map of Gulf Spill Restoration projects.