Louisiana CPRA 2021 Year in Review

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has released its 2021 Year in Review outlining the agency’s accomplishments in coastal protection and restoration.

This past year saw the advancement of 110 coastal projects, including 47 projects in construction with a total value of $5.4 billion.

“This year we completed 13 projects, all of which proved resilient in the face of devastating hurricanes and tropical storms and served as a tribute to CPRA’s planning, engineering, design and construction methods,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline. “We continue to implement even bigger Coastal Master Plan projects, and are pursuing policies that frame our efforts within the context of world climate challenges.”

“The 13 projects we completed this year have a total value of $258 million, improving more than 10 miles of protective levees, benefiting more than 4,200 acres of our coastal wetland habitat, and employing 10 dredges pumping tons of sediment,” CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase added.

 In 2021, CPRA’s major accomplishments included:

• the Cameron Creole Freshwater Introduction project on the east side of Calcasieu Lake in Cameron Parish. The project restored the function, value, and sustainability of 22,510 acres of marsh and open water by improving hydrologic conditions through freshwater input.
• the Trinity-East Island restoration, part of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment project. The project built over 2.5 miles of continuous shoreline and 301 acres of beach habitat on the historic barrier island.  
• restoration of over 100 acres of Southwest Louisiana’s only Brown Pelican colony – Rabbit Island in Cameron Parish. The island’s first nesting season following restoration far exceeded expectations, with 6,100 nests observed on the newly restored habitat. 
• the Northwest Turtle Bay Marsh Creation project south of Lafitte. The project created and nourished over 790 acres of marsh in Jefferson Parish.
• CPRA began dredging activities on the Cameron Meadows Marsh Creation and Terracing project in Cameron Parish northwest of Holly Beach. Using 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment pumped from the Gulf of Mexico, the area will see the restoration of 308 acres of marsh. 
• CPRA started construction on the Spanish Pass Increment of the Barataria Basin Ridge and Marsh Creation project, which will build more than 1,500 acres of marsh and 132 acres of ridge west of Venice in Plaquemines Parish. The project is part of a large-scale restoration strategy to address land loss in the Barataria Basin, where over 10,000 acres of land have been restored since 2007.
• CPRA started construction on the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation project to create and nourish 2,770 acres of marsh on the southern shoreline of Lake Borgne in St. Bernard Parish. The project is part of the large-scale restoration strategy for the Pontchartrain Basin to reestablish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat in the area. 
• CPRA began construction activities on the Golden Triangle Marsh Creation project, which will create and nourish over 770 acres of marsh habitat to reduce storm surge, increase flood protection, and restore estuary habitat in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. The project will support the New Orleans hurricane protection and levee system by restoring the wetland buffer that acts as a first line of defense against storm surge.  
• CPRA began construction on the New Orleans Landbridge Shoreline Stabilization and Marsh Creation project near the confluence of Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine. The project will restore 253 acres of marsh and provide 12 miles of shoreline stabilization.