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| 01/01/2007 60 Months |
| Current Status |
Effective Date |
Comments |
| Included in Recovery Plan |
04/07/2006 |
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Under this project, dredged material from the GIWW and other locations in Iberia, Vermilion, and Cameron Parishes will be used to fill existing abandoned canals. These canals will thus be restored to marshland, thereby protecting existing estuary and wildlife habitat from saltwater intrusion. The project will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will be a pilot project in the Rockefeller Refuge. Using lessons learned from the pilot study, the project will be expanded to other areas during Phase 2.
Hurricane Rita exploited vulnerabilities created by developmental activities along the Vermilion coast, further reducing the natural buffer and increasing inland damage. Just as many independent actions over time contributed to the vulnerability, no one action will repair the damage and reduce the vulnerability. This project is one of seven interrelated projects which together will achieve the goal of restoration and preservation of 60,000 acres of Vermilion Parish wetlands, marsh and coastline by 2011. By achieving this goal future storm related losses throughout the Parish will be reduced.
During the hurricane, abandoned canals allowed saltwater intrusion into interior portions of the coastal area. Killing the fresh water habitat, this led to the permanent destruction of wetlands. The project provides a line of defense in flood protection by reducing storm surge propagation and provides protection for future levee construction. The Louisiana Recovery Authority has recognized this project as high priority.
The economy and culture of Vermilion Parish is closely linked to the health of the Louisiana coast. The residents of coastal Louisiana are dependent on activities that are directly tied to the coast such as fishing, shrimping, ship building, oil & gas exploration & extraction, and other supporting industries. The residents of Vermilion Parish treasure the wildlife and open spaces provided by a healthy coastline. For all these reasons, protection of the coast and preservation of existing wetlands is a high priority for the people of the Parish.
If nothing is done to stop coastal erosion and wetland destruction, the agricultural, oil & gas, navigational, fishing, shrimping, and all support industries will be negatively and immensely affected.
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