Comment on Proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion

The $2 billion project will create tens of thousands of acres of wetlands in coastal Louisiana.

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.   Louisiana Trustees Seek Comments on Proposed Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion The $2 billion project will create tens of thousands of acres of wetlands in coastal Louisiana. Public comment is open through May 4, 2021. The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group is seeking public input on a draft restoration plan proposing an investment of up to $2 billion in the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. If approved, the large-scale project would reconnect the Mississippi River to Louisiana's Barataria Basin. The project will allow the controlled release of freshwater, nutrients and sediment back into the basin to rebuild wetlands and contribute to the broader restoration of its ecosystem. The Draft Phase II Restoration Plan #3.2, is available for public comment for 60 days through May 4, 2021, with virtual public meetings to present the plan and environmental impact statement April 6, 7, and 8 2021. We're also holding community conversations to learn more and ask questions about the plan and project March 22, 23, and April 20. NOAA and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) are lead Trustees for the draft plan, which was prepared jointly with the other Louisiana Restoration Area Trustees. Concurrent with release of the draft restoration plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing a draft environmental impact statement, also available for public comment for 60 days.  Read the full article >> Learn more about submitting comments and the April 6 - 8 virtual public meetings >> Learn more about community conversations March 22, 23 and April 20 to provide the public with an informal opportunity to learn and ask questions about the project >> Read the restoration plan, a presentation on the plan and project, and more helpful documents and links >> Reducing Land Loss Exacerbated by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Louisiana and the Barataria Basin are in the midst of a land loss crisis. The Basin has lost more than 276,000 acres of land since the 1930s. Wetlands in the Basin were the most heavily impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which accelerated a severe land loss trend threatening Louisiana's estuaries. The oil spill and response activities significantly accelerated the rate of wetland loss in the area. Additional Background Information Recognizing the loss of marsh productivity caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the importance of Louisiana's marshes to the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, the historic 2016 Natural Resource Damages settlement allocated almost half of the funding, $4 billion, to restoring Louisiana's coastal and nearshore habitats. In 2017, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group released a draft and in 2018 approved a final strategic restoration plan prioritizing large-scale sediment diversion, marsh creation, and ridge restoration techniques and approaches for the Barataria Basin. The strategic plan included the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and other projects for evaluation and planning.  Stay Tuned for More Information We'll send emails out to Gulf Spill Restoration subscribers when any of this information is updated. If you're not signed up, please do that today

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