Last week the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) joined parish officials to celebrate progress on coastal restoration projects in St. Bernard Parish.
CPRA Chairman Chip Kline and Executive Director Bren Haase were joined by St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis, State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, State Rep. Ray Garofalo, and other parish officials for a tour of the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project site and an overview of past, current, and future projects aimed at restoring the coast in St. Bernard Parish.
Since its inception, CPRA has invested over $6.5 billion across 26 projects in St. Bernard Parish. Over 4,700 acres have benefitted from 13 completed projects. Another 13 projects are underway and will benefit nearly 5,000 additional acres upon completion.
CPRA Chairman Kline said upon completion, the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation project will have a larger footprint than all other dredging projects completed in St. Bernard Parish to date. He added that at over 2,700 acres, the project will be the largest marsh creation project by acreage ever built by CPRA statewide.
The recently-released 2023 Draft Coastal Master Plan identifies multiple projects in St. Bernard Parish aimed at combating land loss and increasing storm surge protection. If adopted by the Louisiana Legislature, the updated Coastal Master Plan, which was developed utilizing the best available science and engineering as well as input from local stakeholders, will continue to allow CPRA to prioritize projects to address the challenges facing coastal Louisiana.
