The project was authorized by Flood Control Act of 1965, and the Water Resources Acts of 1974, 1986, 1990, and 1992.

The project provides for construction of the Lake Pontchartrain High Level Plan and the Chalmette Area Plan. The project includes a new levee parallel to and immediately north of U.S. Highway 61, between the levee along the Jefferson-St. Charles Parish boundary and the east Bonnet Carrel Spillway guide levee, an enlarged levee along the Jefferson Parish Lakefront (including measures to intercept and convey drainage from the land side slope of the project levees in Jefferson Parish), an enlarged New Orleans Lakefront levee landward of the seawall, enlargement of existing levees of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal in New Orleans, a new levee floodwall along the Lakefront extending from the floodwall at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport to South Point, an enlarged levee from South Point to the GIWW, a levee along and north of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway from the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal to Chef Menteur, and a new levee from the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Levee along and on the south bank of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet to a point approximately 2-1/2 miles northeast of Verret and then in a generally westerly direction to the Mississippi River Levee near Caernarvon. The strengthened Mandeville seawall on the north shore at present height. A new pumping station and vertical lift gates for the Florida Avenue Complex are included in this project. Mitigation for environmental damage will be provided by a segmented rock breakwater along the Manchac Wildlife Refuge.

Assurances are required for the two independently justified plans. The Chalmette Area Plans local sponsors are the Orleans Levee District, St. Bernard Parish Council and Lake Borgne Basin Levee District. The High Levee Plans local sponsors are the Orleans Levee District for the New Orleans East unit, the East Jefferson Levee Board for the Jefferson parish portion of the New Orleans West unit and the Ponchartrain Levee District for the St. Charles Parish portion of the New Orleans West Unit.

Funds to initiate pre-construction engineering and design were appropriated in FY 1966, and funds to initiate conbtruction were appropriated in FY 1967. The project is approximately 82 percent complete and the estimated completion date is November 2013. The New Orleans East Unit is 90 percent complete, with a completion date of September 2009. The New Orleans West Unit is 15 percent complete with a completion date of November 2013. The Mandeville Unit is 100% complete as of September 1995. The Chalmette Unit is 98 percent complete with a completion date of September 2001.  The mitigation project was completed in December 1996.

The total estimate of the project cost fully funded is $712,000,000. The remaining benefit-cost ratio is 3.4 to 1 at 3-1/4 percent.