The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved the Final Phase 2 Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #1.2: Spanish Pass Ridge and Marsh Creation Project and Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project.
We released the draft restoration plan in October 2019 and accepted public comment through November 20, 2019. This final plan includes construction activities for the restoration of wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats injured in the Louisiana Restoration Area as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The plan analyzes restoration project design alternatives for two projects that are components of larger marsh restoration strategies, and were approved for engineering and design (E&D) in a previous restoration plan. We have selected and approved a design alternative for construction of each, with a combined construction cost of approximately $214,932,290.
The Spanish Pass project is a component of an overall large-scale restoration strategy for the Barataria Basin that will re-establish ridge and intertidal marsh habitats degraded due to sea level rise, land subsidence, diminished sediment supply, and storm events. The primary goal of the Spanish Pass increment in this plan is to create and nourish approximately 132 acres of historical ridge and 1,683 acres of marsh. This Plan approves funding for construction, engineering and design, operations and maintenance, and monitoring and adaptive management with an estimated cost of approximately $100.3 million.
The Lake Borgne Marsh Creation – Increment One project is also a component of an overall large-scale restoration strategy for the Pontchartrain Basin that will reestablish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat. This increment will create an estimated 2,816 acres of restored marsh habitat at an estimated cost of approximately $114.7 million. This Plan approved funding for engineering and design, construction, operations and maintenance, and monitoring and adaptive management.
