Posted on January 11, 2023
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has released a draft version of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan, which is a roadmap for combating coastal land loss and flooding. CPRA executive director Ben Haase says the master plan is updated every six years to incorporate changes in technology, costs and logistics.
“You’ll see projects that will restore literally hundreds of acres of our coastal wetlands and projects that could result in us experiencing reduced risks from hurricanes and storm surges 50 years from now,” said Haase.
The plan can be viewed online at coastal.la.gov. Haase says the Coastal Master Plan has been in existence since 2007 and has been responsible for a lot of progress in fighting coastal land loss.
“We restored almost 60,000 acres of our coastal habitat, about 370 miles of levees have been approved and about 72 miles of barrier islands have been restored over the last 15 years or so all guided by this document,” said Haase.
The 2023 update of CPRA’s plan includes a new project selection process, improved predictive models, new risk metrics, and other improvements. He says the plan encompasses literally ALL of Louisiana’s coastal areas.
“So there are projects for Cameron Parish in the southwest of Louisiana, all the way over to St. Bernard and St. Tammany Parishes, the easternmost portion of our coast,” Haase.
Public hearings on the Coastal Master Plan are scheduled for late January through mid-February in Baton Rouge on January 31st.
Houma Municipal Auditorium on February 2nd. February 7th at the University of New Orleans University Center Auditorium. And February 16th at the Burton Coliseum Complex in Lake Charles.
Public comments may be submitted for the plan now through March 25, 2023 via email, regular mail, or in person at one of four upcoming public hearings.
