The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has completed a $36 million marsh creation project benefiting 1,158 acres in south central Terrebonne Parish at Lost Lake, utilizing both dredge material and hydrologic control structures along bayous Carencro and Rice.
Commenting the latest announcement, Louisiana Governor, John Bel Edwards, said: “From the time I took office, coastal protection and restoration has been a priority for my administration, and this is what progress looks like. We’re looking forward to several coastal restoration projects that are slated to get underway this year, all of which will benefit our communities and our people in both the long and short terms.”
North of Bayou DeCade a 22-acre site now contains 30,000 linear feet of earthen terraces that break up wave energy to lessen erosion, thus protecting additional areas inland while providing improved habitat for fish and wildlife.
Five water control structures along the bayous will help maintain areas which have been traditionally fresher or more saline in the fluctuating estuarine environment.
The variable and fixed-crest weirs are manually controlled and adjusted according to seasonal or other conditions.