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Corps and Plaquemines Parish host signing ceremony to recognize new commitment to the beneficial use of dredged material in the Bird's Foot Delta

Published Aug. 4, 2014
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NEW ORLEANS – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District and Plaquemines Parish Government are hosting a ceremony on Wednesday, August 6th to recognize the signing of a partnership agreement for initiation of Louisiana Coastal Area Beneficial Use of Dredged Material projects. These projects aim to increase the use of material dredged from the Mississippi River to restore and create important coastal landscape features in Plaquemines Parish. 
 
New Orleans District Commander, Col. Richard Hansen, and Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser will be on hand to sign the LCA BUDMAT Design Agreement and provide statements on the importance of this partnership. The signing of the LCA BUDMAT Design Agreement initiates the design of the first beneficial use projects and positions the program for construction in 2015, dependent on funding from Congress. 
 
Ceremony details are as follows:
 
When:           
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
11:00 a.m.
 
Where:           
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District
District Assembly Room A
7400 Leake Ave
New Orleans, LA 70118
 
Who:
Col. Richard Hansen, USACE-MVN Commander
President Billy Nungesser, Plaquemines Parish
 
Please RSVP to Lee Mueller, USACE-PAO at 504-862-1759 or lee.e.mueller@usace.army.mil for access to the District.
 
The first Plaquemines Parish LCA BUDMAT project will use material dredged from Southwest Pass to restore and create approximately 300 to 600 acres of marsh habitat. This effort will provide valuable habitat for wildlife and fisheries, reduce the loss of important coastal landscapes in Plaquemines Parish, and help sustain the ecosystems of coastal Louisiana.
 
Overall, the LCA BUDMAT program was authorized in WRDA 2007 and aims to use material dredged from federally-maintained waterways throughout the New Orleans District beneficially to create and restore coastal landscape features, such as marshes, ridges and islands.  The program can execute beneficial use projects over a ten year period for a total cost of $100 million.
 
For more information on the program, please visit: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/LouisianaCoastalArea.aspx
Contact
Rene Poche
504-862-1759
lee.e.mueller@usace.army.mil

Release no. 14-040