Meeting on Dredged Material Beneficial Use Set for Tomorrow

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, and Plaquemines Parish Government are hosting a ceremony on Wednesday, August 6, to recognize the signing of a partnership agreement for initiation of Louisiana Coastal Area Beneficial Use of Dredged Material projects.

These projects aim to increase the use of material dredged from the Mississippi River to restore and create important coastal landscape features in Plaquemines Parish. The ceremony will be held on Wednesday, August 6, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District’s District Assembly Room A, 7400 Leake Ave, New Orleans, LA.

New Orleans District Commander, Col. Richard Hansen, and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser will be on hand to sign the LCA BUDMAT Design Agreement and provide statements on the importance of this partnership. The signing of the LCA BUDMAT Design Agreement initiates the design of the first beneficial use projects and positions the program for construction in 2015, dependent on funding from Congress.

The first Plaquemines Parish LCA BUDMAT project will use material dredged from Southwest Pass to restore and create approximately 300 to 600 acres of marsh habitat. This effort will provide valuable habitat for wildlife and fisheries, reduce the loss of important coastal landscapes in Plaquemines Parish, and help sustain the ecosystems of coastal Louisiana.

Overall, the LCA BUDMAT program was authorized in WRDA 2007 and aims to use material dredged from federally-maintained waterways throughout the New Orleans District beneficially to create and restore coastal landscape features, such as marshes, ridges and islands. The program can execute beneficial use projects over a ten year period for a total cost of $100 million.

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Press Release, August 5, 2014