Bayou Lafourche Saltwater Control Structure Opens

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Deputy Executive Director Jason Lanclos joined local officials from the Bayou Lafourche Freshwater District and Lafourche Parish recently to dedicate the Bayou Lafourche Saltwater Control Structure in Lockport.

This structure can prevent saltwater from moving up the bayou and create a freshwater reservoir to the north.

CPRA used $4.1 million in funds from its Coastal Impact Assistance Program to build the structure at Lockport.

It is another component of CPRA’s Mississippi River Reintroduction into Bayou Lafourche (BA-0161), a $26.7 million suite of work using Mississippi River water, dredging and infrastructure to increase the flow capacity of Bayou Lafourche, benefiting the Terrebonne and Barataria Basins through reductions in the salinities and/or nourishment of wetlands with the introduction and distribution of sediment and nutrients from the river.

Freshwater District Chairman Hugh Caffery said that the work on the saltwater control structure has been a foundation, but the project won’t be truly complete until the Donaldsonville pump station is also fixed.

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