Comment Invited on Barataria Basin Strategic Plans

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LA TIG) has invited public comment on two draft Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration plans intended to provide and enhance recreational opportunities and to restore wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats in the Barataria Basin.

The first of the two draft restoration plans is the ‘Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #2: Provide and Enhance Recreational Opportunities’ (Draft Recreational Use RP), which presents a restoration plan to compensate for lost recreational use as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Included are $22 million in proposed projects emphasizing the creation and enhancement of recreational fishing infrastructure, access to recreational fishing, and educational and outreach projects to promote use and stewardship of natural resources.

The four proposed projects are:

• Elmer’s Island Access – $6 million;
• Statewide Artificial Reefs – $6 million;
• Lake Charles Science Center and Educational Complex – $7 million;
• Pointe aux Chenes Island Road Fishing Piers – $3 million.

The public comment period for the Draft Recreational Use RP, originally scheduled to end on January 19, 2018, has been extended to February 2, 2018.

The second draft restoration plan is the ‘Draft Strategic Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #3: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana’ (Draft Barataria Basin SRP).

The Louisiana TIG is proposing two decisions in this draft plan:

• A preferred alternative that relies on a suite of restoration techniques, including large-scale sediment diversions, marsh creation, and ridge restoration;
• Advancing specific projects forward for further evaluation and planning. These include the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and two increments of marsh creation within “Large Scale Marsh Creation: Component E” in the northern Barataria Basin.

The public comment period for the Draft Barataria Basin SRP opened on December 20, 2017 and will close on February 5, 2018.