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The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) is the recipient of the two largest grants ever awarded by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council).
This distinction comes following the announcement of the receipt of a $130 million grant to partially fund the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project and the recently awarded $163 million grant for the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) Lock Complex project.
Like many other delta-area ecosystems, the Maurepas Swamp was once nourished by fresh Mississippi River water before levees were constructed to provide flood protection to local communities, disconnecting the river from its delta for the last 100 years. “ Construction of the project will also help pay for the nearby West Shore Lake Pontchartrain project (WSLP) through a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Maurepas project has been approved by USACE as mitigation for impacts of the WSLP project, allowing the state to construct one project for dual purposes, which saves time and money while improving the entire area through an integrated effort ,” said CPRA.
The HNC Lock Complex is a large-scale hydrologic restoration project that will help limit saltwater intrusion and distribute freshwater within the Terrebonne Basin, allowing for the maintenance of thousands of acres of wetlands, which serve as critical wildlife habitat and nurseries for fisheries.
Once constructed, the HNC Lock Complex will span 110 feet across by 800 feet long and stand 23 ½ feet high on the south end, nearest to the Gulf of Mexico, with sector gates on either side, directly adjacent to the existing 250-foot-wide Bubba Dove barge floodgate.
The two components will be tied together by a braced flood wall across the channel and work in concert to allow larger ships to pass through the canal, said CPRA.