The project was authorized under the authority of Section 201 of Public Law 89-298 by resolutions of the Senate and House Public Works Committees adopted 1 October 1976 and 23 September 1976, respectively.

PROJECT:

The project consists of a berm and vegetated dune extending the length of Grand Isle's gulf shore and 2,600 foot jetty to stabilize the western end of the island at Caminada Pass.

The recommended plan of improvement provides for the stabilization of Grand Isle's gulf shore and protection from gulf waves generated by hurricanes of a magnitude that recur with an average frequency of once in every 50 years. The project provides no protection from still water flooding or from hurricane driven bay waves.

LOCAL COOPERATION:

The required assurances were executed on 16 March 1983 and construction rights-of-way were provided on 4 May 1983. Local interests provided a cash contribution of $2,110,000 on 1 June 1983, $70,000.00 in November 1985, $368,000.00 in 1987, $259,000.00 in May 1989, and $4,750,000.00 in February 1990.

PROGRESS:

The jetty on the western end of the island was constructed in July 1972 by the State of Louisiana for $1,000,000 and credited toward the State's share of the project's first cost.

Construction, including dune vegetation, was underway in late summer 1985.

When the Grand Isle project was damaged by Hurricanes Danny, Elena, and Juan, the damages involved loss of approximately 6,000 feet of dune; partial loss of approximately 14,000 feet of dune; and essentially no damage to the remaining 18,000 feet of dune. While the project itself was severely damaged, it nevertheless was instrumental in preventing severe structural damage on Grand Isle. No structural damage was sustained in Hurricanes Danny and Elena, and only minor structural damage in Juan. An estimate of damage prevented by the project, despite loss of beach which occurred in the winter storms of 1984 and 1985, is approximately $12,000,000. Additional damage to the project occurred during Hurricane Bonnie in 1986.

The repair and restoration of Grand Isle was accomplished by two separate contracts. The jetty extensions and sand bar removal contract was completed 5 February 1988, at a cost of $1,744,600.00. The dune repair and structural reinforcement contract was completed 4 September 1991 at a cost of $10,934,000.00. This included all additional items of work necessary to fully restore the project, including the placement of one million plus cubic yards of sand to reconstruct the beach and dune, construction of segmented offshore breakwaters consisting of sand-filled geofabric bags, placement of a clay core in portions of the dune, and restoration of vehicular ramps, pedestrian crossovers, and dune vegetation.

After the project was completed, the beach and dune were damaged by Hurricane Andrew on 24 August 1992. The 1992 Dire Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act provided $5,500,000 to repair damage to the beach, dune and offshore breakwaters. Two contracts were awarded. The first to repair the beach and dune was completed on 24 March 1994 at a cost of $2,491,000. The second contract was to construct segmented offshore breakwaters at a cost of $2,846,028 and was completed on 30 April 1995.

The Water Resources Development Act of 1996 modified the original project to authorize construction of a permanent breakwater and levee system at a total cost of $17,000,000.  The intent of this additional authority was for improvements to the bayside of the island.