Coastal Restoration and Preservation

Director Mart Black, FAICP

 

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA)

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, (CWPPRA-pronounced kwip-ruh), is designed to fund construction of coastal restoration projects. Since its inception, 151 projects have been authorized, benefiting over 110,000 acres in Louisiana.

The annual budget for CWPPRA funded restoration has varied through the nearly twenty-year life span of the Act from approximately $30 million per year to nearly $80 million per year. The projects provide for the long-term conservation of wetlands and dependent fish and wildlife populations with cost-effective plans for creating, restoring, protecting, or enhancing coastal wetlands.

Each year, an average of 70-85 projects are proposed across Louisiana's coast to compete for funding. Through the CWPPRA process, Parishes work together with State and Federal Agencies to narrow the list down to the 3-6 most deserving projects, and also decide on 1-2 new restorative or protective technologies to demonstrate the effectiveness of. CWPPRA project managers, scientists, and engineers use a variety of techniques to protect, enhance, or restore wetlands. These techniques include:

  • marsh creation and restoration
  • shoreline protection
  • hydrologic restoration
  • beneficial use of dredged material
  • terracing
  • sediment trapping
  • vegetative planting
  • barrier island restoration
  • bank stabilization

Click here to view a list of projects funded by CWPPRA

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