Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection
and Restoration (CWPPRA) Projects
Coastal Louisiana is subject to some of the highest land loss rates on the planet. Nearly 80% of all coastal land loss in the United States occurs in Louisiana. The State loses on the order of 30 square miles, or 25,000 acres, every year, due to several factors, both natural and anthropogenic.
Geologically ‘new’, the current and abandoned Mississippi River delta lobes are still undergoing subsidence. Fresh water and sediment from the Mississippi River that would otherwise nourish the Delta’s wetlands, as well as feed sand to the barrier island system, have effectively been directed offshore through the construction of the River’s navigable waterway and levee system. Couple with the effects of subsidence and global sea level rise, coastal Louisiana experiences relative sea level rise rates on the order of 1.0 cm/yr. Damage to coastal wetlands through saltwater intrusion, oil & gas activity, storm wave and vessel wakes, all serve to exacerbate land loss rates.
Authorized by Congress in 1990, the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), also known as the Breaux Bill, was the first major federal program to fund coastal wetlands restoration projects. CWPPRA is managed by a task force comprised of the State of Louisiana, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Project submissions are evaluated and ranked on the basis of cost effectiveness, longevity, risk, supporting partnerships, public support, and conformity with CWPPRA goals.
Employed by Brown & Root Civil in the early 1990s, Lally served as the Coastal Engineering Lead for numerous coastal restoration and protection engineering studies and concept designs under contracts with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. Located throughout the Louisiana Coastal Zone, these were some of the earliest coastal and hydrologic engineering projects undertaken in Plaquemines, Orleans, Barataria, Teche, Vermillion, Calcasieu and Sabine Parishes, and included;
- Holly Beach – Constance Beach Protection
- Shark Island – Weeks Bay Shoreline Protection / Hydrologic Restoration
- Mississippi River West Bay Islands
- Boudreaux / Broussard Marsh Protection
- Sweet Lake / GIWW Bank Restoration
- Marsh Island Sediment Fencing
- Redfish Point Shore Protection
- Back Ridge Freshwater Introduction
- Black Lake West Shore Protection
- Salvador Wetland Management Area Gulf Canal Project
- Black Lake South Shore Protection
- Marsh Island Canal Backfilling / Hydrologic Restoration
- Grand Bayou Bank Stabilization
- East Marsh Island Shoreline Stabilization
- Tangipahao / Ponchartrain Shore Protection
As one of the first coastal engineers in the State, Lally, conducted field investigations and site data acquisition, shoreline change analysis, numerical modeling and coastal processes analyses, and developed numerous conceptual engineering designs to restore, protect and manage these important coastal assets, including;
- Rock Dikes
- Brush Fences
- Marsh Terraces
- Timber / Tire Pylons
- Offshore Detached Breakwaters
- Manufactured Concrete Wave Block Units
- Emergent and Submerged Aquatic Vegetative Plantings
- Beach and Shoreline Restoration using Sand Borrow Sources
Wherever feasible, beneficial use of dredge materials and other nature-based solutions were recommended to achieve sustainability and promote improved site ecological functions. Lally engaged and collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State of Louisiana, Louisiana Geologic Survey, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Soil Conservation Service, as well as local communities, fishermen, habitat advocates, oil & gas industry, dredging contractors, and other stakeholders for a holistic understanding of site processes, physical and socioeconomic conditions at each site or basin to inform development of the most beneficial designs.
In total, Lally designed over 48 miles of varied shoreline erosion control, marsh terraces, and vegetative plantings that would restore or protect in excess of 56,000 acres of coastal wetlands once implemented. Long term monitoring conducted by state and federal agencies provide indications the constructed projects are in overall good condition and functioning as designed. In many cases, these early designs were replicated and optimized for larger scale implementation at other coastal protection sites located in the Louisiana Coastal Zone once funding became available through CWPPRA and various other mechanisms including the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) and Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA).
Related Projects
Services Provided
Field Investigations
Hydrographic, Intertidal and Topographic surveys
Vegetation Analysis,
Sediment Sampling
Shoreline Morphology and Erosion Rate Analyses
Wetland Value Assessment Calculations
Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Studies,
Engineering Designs of Shoreline Restoration and Wetland Protection Structures
Offshore and Inshore Borrow Source identification,
Hydrodynamic Modeling of Watershed Management Areas
MetOcean Data Acquisition and Analysis
Recurrence Interval Storm and Wave Forecasting
Wave Runup and Wave Force Calculations,
Construction Methods
Cost Estimation
Project Permitting
Stakeholder Engagement
Location
Coastal Louisiana, USA
Period
1990’s
As one of the first coastal engineers employed in Louisiana, Lally designed over 48 miles of varied shoreline erosion control, marsh terraces, and vegetative plantings that would restore or protect in excess of 56,000 acres of coastal wetlands.