Coastal Studies and Findings

This page is updated often to include the latest data and information concerning Louisiana Wetlands Special Projects. Please check back frequently.

Coastal Land Loss and Wave-Surge Predictions During Hurricanes in Coastal Louisiana: Implications for the Oil and Gas Industry

Link: Part 1 (Pages 1-35: 5.40 MB)
Link: Part 2 (Pages 36-61: 5.25 MB)

The potential negative impact of hurricane-generated storm surge and wave energy on the oil and gas infrastructure located in coastal Louisiana is enormous. This can be attributed to: (1) the extent and number of facilities located there; and (2) the fact that barrier islands and marshes have drastically diminished during recent history and are predicted to continue doing so in the absence of implementing well designed, large-scale restoration plans. It is the primary objective of this pilot study to evaluate, using state-of-the-art numerical hydrodynamics models, how the loss of barrier islands and wetlands affects storm surge and wave energy along a portion of the south-central Louisiana coast.

CWPPRA Adaptive Management Review

Link: Adaptive Management Review

In October 2001, the CWPPRA Task Force authorized and funded an Adaptive Management Review of constructed wetland restoration projects in coastal Louisiana. The purpose of this review was to evaluate projects which have been constructed, linking assumed causes of wetland loss to project design features, physical and biological responses, to recommend improvements to existing projects as well as improvements to the process of selecting and implementing future projects. The Adaptive Management review culminated in a workshop which was held on August 12-13, 2002 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to share and discuss the findings of this review with the CWPPRA community and public.

Products generated during this review were project-specific adaptive management reports, project-specific and project-type PowerPoint presentations (from the workshop), and an overall Final Report. These products are available here, however please remember that the PowerPoint presentations were developed to support oral presentations during the workshop and should not be taken out of context.

EPA Report: Diversion into the Maurepas Swamp

Link: View Report

This report addresses wetlands south of Lake Maurepas, a large water body located near and northwest of New Orleans, Louisiana. Recent federal and state restoration initiatives, especially the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), have identified south Maurepas as an area where wetlands vegetation (especially the cypress/tupelo swamp) is stressed and dying, and in need of restoration.

The concept to divert Mississippi River water into the region of degraded swamp south of Lake Maurepas was nominated for consideration on Project Priority List 9 of the CWPPRA program, and was defined as a complex project. The Maurepas complex project study is a reconnaissance level effort to develop and compare project alternatives and select the most appropriate project to be recommended for further evaluation. Activities within the scope of this study include: 1) preliminary site reviews, 2) hydrologic modeling of existing conditions and basic diversion scenarios, 3) baseline ecological field studies, and 4) surveying of elevations and cross-sections.

Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Study

Link: Louisiana Comprehensive Coastwide Ecosystem Restoration Study

The LCA Comprehensive Coastwide Study team is currently developing the report to identify a comprehensive coastal wetland restoration program in the State of Louisiana. The report will be provided to Congress for approval and is the first step leading to specific authorization of projects for construction. This program would be based on the restoration “blueprint” presented in the report, Coast 2050: Toward a Sustainable Coastal Louisiana. The LCA Comprehensive Coastwide Study will produce a more “nuts and bolts” document that will detail specific engineering, implementaion and cost proposals. It will be the primary study that the Congress will use to decide if it will approve proceeding with the comprehensive restoration of Louisiana wetlands.

Poster: Vegetation Response to Hurricane Rita in Southwestern Louisiana Marshes

Link: Vegetation Response to Hurricane Rita in Southwestern Louisiana Marshes (1.58 MB)

This poster summarizes an analysis of data collected at DNR vegetation monitoring stations associated with several DNR coastal restoration projects located in southwestern Louisiana. The data were used to assess and compare marsh health at different sites before, immediately after, and one year after Hurricane Rita (one of the two major storms to hit Louisiana in 2005). As of late 2006, most sites were still recovering and in transition from stressors introduced by Hurricane Rita. Those stressors included prolonged elevated water levels that persisted for weeks after the storm, elevated water levels that persisted at least until late 2006 in most areas, and elevated soil salinity levels that persisted at least until late 2006 in most areas.