Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin

Restoration - Restoration of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin

• Restoration in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
• Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Restoration Accomplishments
• Other Restoration Programs in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
  • Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion Project
  • Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act of 1990
  • Coast 2050
  • Pontchartrain Restoration Act of 2000

In an effort to reverse Louisiana's long-term coastal land loss trend, effective large-scale and small-scale restoration projects with a high degree of potential success must continue to be implemented. These include:

1. Vegetative planting to buffer erosion (Figure 16).
2. Barrier island and shoreline restoration to protect against storms.
3. Sediment and freshwater diversions to nourish deteriorated marshes (Figures 17, 18, 19, and 20).
4. Hydrologic restoration to re-establish fresh water flow patterns. Projects must be monitored to assure that the intended benefits are achieved. Additionally, projects that demonstrate new and innovative restoration techniques must be approved.

Figure 16: UNO Coastal laboratory staff monitoring vegetation planting project, Chandeleur Islands. Click on the image for a larger version.		Figure 17: Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls on Plover Island, created with dredged material from Baptiste Collette Bayou, Birdfoot Delta (USACE). Click on the image for a larger version.

Figure 18: Caernarvon freshwater diversion structure and outfall area, Plaquemines Parish. Click on the image for a larger version.	Figure 19: Satellite image of LaBranche wetlands marsh creation project (CWPPRA). Click on the image for a larger version.	Figure 20: Shoreline armoring operation, LaBranche wetlands. Click on the image for a larger version.

Since 1994, 15 CWPPRA projects have been implemented in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin (Table 2, below). The types of projects implemented range from hydrologic restoration, barrier island restoration, diversion outfall management, wetland terracing, vegetative plantings, dedicated dredging and more.

Project Number	Project Name	Project Area	Acres Created/ Restored	Acres Protected	Total Net Acres*
XPO-55a	Opportunistic Use of Bonnet Carré Spillway	13,583		177	177
XPO-95	Chandeleur Islands Restoration	504	220		220
PPO-7a	LaBranche Wetlands Terracing/Plantings	4,505	374	115	489
PPO-38	Hopedale Hydrologic Restoration	3,805		134	134
XPO-74a	Bayou Bienvenue Pump Station/Terracing	2,661	415	27	442
PBS-1	Upper Oak River Freshwater Introduction	4,618	270	69	339
PMR-10	Delta-wide Crevasses	5,210	2,298	88	2,386
XPO-69	Bayou Chevee Marsh Creation (Revised)	212		75	75
XPO-71	MRGO Back Dike Marsh Protection	855		755	755
XMR-10	Channel Armor Gap Crevasse	2,097	611	325	936
PO-52a	Bayou Sauvage NWR Hydrologic Restoration (Phase II)	3,800	1,050	500	1,550
PO-6	Fritchie Marsh Restoration	5,924		1,040	1,040
BS-3a	Caernarvon Diversion Outfall Management	15,556	802		802
PO-52A	Bayou Sauvage NWR Hydrologic Restoration (Phase I)	3,800	1,050	500	1,550
PPO-10	Bayou LaBranche Marsh Creation	487	203		203
PPO-4	Eden Isles East Marsh Restoration	2,536	1,454		1,454
PMR-9b	Pass à Loutre Crevasse	1,869	1,043		1,043
TOTAL					13,595

* All figures are those published at time of project approval by the CWPPRA Task Force as per the Priority Project List (PPL) Reports and do not include project revisions since that time unless otherwise noted. Project Area = The benefitted area as determined by the Environmental Work Group for purposes of conducting Wetland Value Assessments. Acres Created/ Restored = The acres of emergent marsh created or restored as a result of project implementation. Acres Protected = The acres of emergent marsh protected as a result of project implementation. Total Net Acres = The net gain in emergent marsh as a result of project implementation as determined by the Environmental Work Group. This figure includes acres of emergent marsh protected, created and restored as a result of project implementation.

Table 2: CWPPRA projects located in Lake Pontchartrain Basin (source: CWPPRA web site at http://www.lacoast.gov/CWPPRA/projects/pontchartrain/).