Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LaCPR) Study

The purpose of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LACPR) effort is to assess flood risk for coastal Louisiana, and effectively communicate that risk to policy makers and the general public so that informed decisions can be made regarding coastal restoration and mitigation issues.  

Given the enormous challenges associated with restoring Louisiana’s coast and protecting the region from hurricane damage, Congress directed the Corps of Engineers to conduct, in consultation with the state of Louisiana, a comprehensive hurricane protection analysis.  The directive required the Corps to develop a full range of flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane and storm damage reduction measures for south Louisiana using a comprehensive and integrated system approach that contemplates providing risk reduction for a storm surge equivalent to a “Category 5” hurricane.

To meet the Congressional directive, the Corps prepared a technical report that contains:
1. a description of the risk facing coastal Louisiana
2. a description of how the report was created
3. a discussion of multiple lines of defense as a strategy to address coastal protection problems
4. a description of a suite of structural, non-structural and coastal measures that could be implemented
5. a description of the hydromodeling analysis (how water behaves)
6. a description of the criteria – also known as “metrics” – used to evaluate the individual alternatives
7. a full description of the multi-criteria decision analysis and stakeholder participation
8. a proposal on how to proceed, including potential implementation strategies

The LACPR initiative represents the first Congressional mandate for coordination of coastal restoration and hurricane risk reduction in Louisiana. It encompasses all of coastal Louisiana and integrates water resources objectives of hurricane protection, flood control and coastal restoration. 

The LACPR effort was 100% federally funded, therefore no local cost-share sponsor was required.  A key partner in this effort was the State of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).  Representatives of other federal, state and local agencies were also integral parts of the team.  In addition, the Corps involved the nation's most capable scientists, engineers and planners.  The Corps also worked closely with professionals from the Netherlands to collaboratively develop best technologies for coastal protection.

For more information, please contact the LaCPR Administrator.