The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has presented the latest version of the state’s $50 billion plan aimed at restoring and maintaining coastal wetlands and reducing future damage from tropical storms and hurricanes.
The plan relies on a variety of restoration project types that harness natural processes and use available dredge material to create and maintain land over time.
CPRA is tasked with updating the master plan every six years. Now the fourth edition of the plan, the 2023 DRAFT Coastal Master Plan presents a vision for preserving the state’s history, culture, ecosystems and natural resources that are threatened by ongoing land loss and flood risk.
Louisiana’s coastal master plan has driven $21.4 billion of investment in coastal protection and restoration projects since 2007, benefitting 55,807 acres of habitat (87.2 square miles), 369 miles of levee improvements, and 71.6 miles of barrier islands and headlands.
“Addressing Louisiana’s land loss crisis and protecting coastal communities requires the comprehensive and integrated approach that projects identified in the master plan offer,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline . “No other state in the country has a plan like ours utilizing the best available science and engineering to preserve our coast and culture for generations to come.”
Once approved by the Louisiana Legislature, this plan becomes the guiding document for the state’s coastal activities and provides a clear path forward for billions of dollars of investment in the design, implementation, and operation of large-scale restoration and risk reduction solutions.