| The POC for this page: Julie Morgan, CEMVN-PA New Orleans,LA 504-862-2587 Julie.T.Morgan@usace.army.mil Page last updated: 23 May 2000 |
| Project
Fact Sheet |
Bonnet Carré
Freshwater Diversion Project, Louisiana
| LOCATION:
Mississippi-Louisiana Estuarine Areas, LA/MS PROJECT AUTHORITY: Section 3 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1988 (PL 100-676). PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: The project area includes Lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne, the Mississippi Sound, and their adjacent wetlands. These estuaries and wetlands are among the most productive in the nation in terms of fish and wildlife resources, and make a significant contribution to the overall economies of Louisiana and Mississippi by supporting extensive commercial fisheries and trapping industries and offering excellent opportunities for sport fishing and hunting. However, maintaining the productivity of these wildlife and fisheries resources depends on preserving and enhancing the quality and quantity of wetland and estuarine habitats. In recent years, subsidence, erosion, and the activities of man have resulted in significant wetland loss. Saltwater intrusion also has altered the ecology of the wetlands and water bodies, reducing the size of important nursery grounds. Pollution is also a serious problem; some oyster beds have been closed for years, and other areas are regularly closed after severe floods. EXPECTED PROJECT OUTPUTS: The project is designed to reduce saltwater intrusion and to significantly increase the production of oyster, white shrimp, blue crabs, croakers, and menhaden. About 10,500 acres of marsh and wooded swamps adjacent to Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain would be saved over the 50 year project life, since nutrients and sediment from the diverted freshwater would result in a healthier marsh and reduce land loss. Oyster production is estimated to increase by 5.7 million pounds annually in Louisiana and 1.9 million pounds annually in Mississippi. No additional lands will be required for this project, as it will be constructed within the existing Bonnet Carre' Spillway.PROJECT DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY: The final feasibility report and EIS was submitted to the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) in May 1984. In January 1985 the MRC met, modified and approved the recommended plan. The Chief of Engineers concurred, and forwarded the report to the Secretary of the Army in May 1986. The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASACW) transmitted the report to the U.S. House of Representatives in September 1989. The Design Memorandum was submitted to HQUSACE in October 1990, approved in November 1991, and ASACW concurred in January 1993. Mississippi provided guarantees to furnish their share of the project costs in September 1990. In July 1992, Louisiana changed sponsorship from Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWF), and provided the guarantees to furnish their share of the project costs. Louisiana transferred the sponsor responsibility from DWF back to DNR in November 1995.FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
CURRENT STATUS: Reanalysis Effort: An additional analysis of the project, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region VI Office, was made in response to a January 1994 letter from Congressman Robert Livingston. Technical meetings on the analysis were held beginning in March 1994, attended by representatives of EPA, the Corps of Engineers, the State of Louisiana, the State of Mississippi, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. This reanalysis was completed in July 1996, after the Reanalysis Steering Committee held its final meeting on 18 June 1996 to discuss the findings of the separate studies. The Committee made 17 recommendations to the Corps and the New Orleans District evaluated the need to modify the authorized project based on the recommendations. FONSI: A Finding of No Significant Environmental Impact (FONSI) for an Environmental Assessment evaluating water quality impacts to Lake Pontchartrain was signed in July 1996. Local Sponsors Position: We received an official reply from the State of Louisiana in July 1996, declining to participate further in the project. The State of Mississippi continues to support the project. House Conference Report 104-782: The Conference Committee directed the Corps of Engineers to submit a report to Congress by January 31, 1997 on the status of the Bonnet Carre' Freshwater Diversion Project. They further directed the Corps to provide 1) an assessment of whether the project, as currently formulated, would achieve its goals, and 2) its recommendations of future program options and potential enhancements that would achieve these goals in the most timely and cost effective manner. The draft report was mailed to Congress on 5 May 1997. PROJECT FACTS: |
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