Officials: St. Mary land growth can help dying coast

Land loss is a major problem for nearly all of coastal Louisiana. St. Mary Parish is one exception to the rule that leaders can use to help the state’s dying coastline while also, in turn, benefiting the parish.

Officials with various environmental agencies and organizations met Wednesday in Morgan City to present projects during a Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act planning meeting in hopes of getting their coastal projects funded.

Under the federal act created in 1990, projects are funded by an 85-15 percent federal-state ratio. The act’s sole purpose is to restore and protect coastal wetlands in Louisiana, said Brad Inman, chief of the programs and projects and restoration divisions for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ New Orleans district.

Inman also serves as manager for the CWPPRA program.

A federal excise tax on small engine fuel funds the wetland restoration work.

St. Mary Parish is unique among the coastal parishes in that new deltas are naturally forming because of the Atchafalaya River and Wax Lake Outlet, he said.

“This is the one area in the state where we actually have active land processes and land being formed,” Inman said.

Coastal leaders target the areas with the greatest land loss to do restoration projects, particularly in the Barataria-Terrebonne region.

Projects in St. Mary have mainly been focused on reintroducing freshwater into Terrebonne and south of the Wax Lake Outlet, Inman said.

One project presented Wednesday with ties to St. Mary was the Lake Chapeau Marsh Creation that would take sediment dredged from the Atchafalaya Bay to create about 360 acres of marsh and “nourish 154 acres of existing marsh” in Terrebonne Parish, according to the project description.

Project leaders plan to design the project to avoid adversely affecting Point Au Fer Island in western Terrebonne Parish.

“We support this project because Point Au Fer is first line of defense for Morgan City and for eastern St. Mary Parish when there is a hurricane,” said Cindy Cutrera, Port of Morgan City’s economic development manager.

“Any material that you’re removing out of the bay is helpful to us because sediment is building and building in the bay. So when we have major flood events, it takes forever for the water to leave Morgan City because it can’t drain out of the bay,” Cutrera said.

Officials will select projects to be designed and constructed at the end of the year. Projects considered are consistent with the state’s coastal master plan, Inman said.

“We’ll build projects that will fit into the state in areas that we know there’s a need,” he said. “We’re working hand in hand with the state to make these happen.”

Organizers consider many different types of coastal projects, including marsh creation, shoreline protection, vegetation growth and freshwater reintroduction.

In 27 years, the act has funded over $1 billion worth of projects across coastal Louisiana trying to reverse land loss, “along with enhancing and protecting wetlands,” Inman said.

“While this is a great program, we need so much more,” he said.

The state’s coastal master plan identifies $50 billion in coastal projects.

Members of the public may submit comments on possible CWPPRA projects through March 1. Comments may be submitted by emailing Brad.L.Inman@usace.army.mil or calling 504-862-2124.