For Immediate Release: June 4, 2009
Corps of Engineers and State of Louisiana to Sign Cost Share Agreement for Coastal Protection and Restoration Programs
NEW ORLEANS - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Louisiana will sign a cost share agreement Friday, June 5 to provide funding to conduct feasibility studies for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) program. The Feasibility Cost Share Agreement will be signed by Col. Alvin Lee and Garret Graves, Chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, at 11:30 am at the USACE New Orleans District, DARM A.
"The signing of this cost share agreement marks the thirteenth LCA program element out of a total of sixteen that are being cooperatively developed by the Corps and the state," said New Orleans District Commander, Col. Alvin Lee. "Our partnership with the state of Louisiana is extremely important for the success of this program."
The total cost of this effort is $11.8 million and will address four specific protection and restoration projects. These efforts are cost-shared equally between the Corps of Engineers and the state of Louisiana.
"Signing this cost share agreement is an important step in moving forward with our enormous efforts to restore and rebuild Louisiana's rapidly eroding coastal wetlands," said Garret Graves, Chairman of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. "LCA and other restoration projects contained in the 2007 Water Resources Development Act need to be advanced and funded as quickly as possible if we are going to have a fighting chance to curb coastal land loss."
The specific projects to be studied are the protection and restoration of the Land Bridge between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Shoreline at Point au Fer Island, both in Terrebonne Parish. Also, the modification of the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, and the modification of the Davis Pond Freshwater Diversion in Jefferson Parish will be investigated to increase their land building potential.
The LCA program was authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
For more information about the CPRA and Louisiana's ongoing coastal protection and wetland restoration efforts, please contact Chris Macaluso at (225) 342-3968 or by email at chris.macaluso@la.gov.
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The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's mandate is to develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive coastal protection and restoration master plan. For the first time in Louisiana's history, this single state authority will integrate coastal restoration and hurricane protection by marshalling the expertise and resources of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation and Development, and other state agencies, to speak with one clear voice for the future of Louisiana's coast. Working with federal, state and local political subdivisions, including levee districts, the CPRA will work to establish a safe and sustainable coast that will protect our communities, the nation's critical energy infrastructure, and our bountiful natural resources for generations to come. The CPRA of Louisiana was established by Act 8 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2005.
