Gulf Coast restoration projects identified

Government and business leaders voiced approval regarding work to be performed at eight Gulf Coast locations during an initial environmental restoration effort funded with $1 billion from BP as the company pays damages following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil release of April 22, 2010.

The voluntary agreement, which includes funding two Louisiana projects, is intended to accelerate restoration of areas deemed as damaged by a National Resource Damage Assessment study in accordance with the Oil Pollution Act, and specified by appointed trustees.

“The trustees selected projects that are ready (to be implemented) quickly and bring long-term benefits to the region,” BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization spokesman Mike Ulster said.

The effort implements a so-called Louisiana Plan, which was designated as part of the restoration project in July. It involves 13 tasks that will be funded with $530 million of the BP settlement amount.

Topping the Louisiana Plan list is what has been designated as the Louisiana Oyster Cultch Project. Under this initiative, 850 acres of productive oyster habitat and seed ground will be enhanced with the addition of cultch material. Areas targeted for the enhancement include Three Mile Bay, Drum Bay, Lake Fortuna, South Black Bay, Hackberry Bay and Sister Lake.

In addition to cultch enhancement, this part of the program includes constructing a hatchery adjacent to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Marine Research Laboratory at Grand Isle at a cost of $14.9 million.

“As a result to the damage done to the oyster community [BP is] rehabilitating community by putting cultch out,” Motivatit Seafood CEO and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission member Mike Voisin said. “That is fabulous.”

Voisin said that cultch placement was recommended to Gov. Bobby Jindal and $4 million in state funds had already been spent on the project. “[The BP] dollars will be planted next spring,” Voisin said. “I think there are going to be a number of steps taken and significant investment made as time goes on. The hatchery project is great because it brings us to where we not only are able to seed this area, but we can also create a scenario where we can grow oysters that don’t reproduce.”

“I’m thrilled,” P&J Oyster Co. co-owner and Governor’s Oyster Advisory Committee member Al Sunseri said. “From the start of the spill, [the governor’s office] heard our concerns and suggestions. We are hopeful that the cultch planting will bring rejuvenation of the natural oyster reefs, and the hatchery will provide stability for future generations.”

Another Louisiana project to undergo the initial round of restoration is the Lake Hermitage Marsh project. This effort will create 104 acres of marsh within the Barataria Hydrologic Basin in Plaquemines Parish.

Sediment from the Mississippi River will be dredged and pumped via pipeline to the project area where native vegetation will be planted.

“The projects proposed are just the beginning of the hard work we must all do along our coast,” Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said. “[It is] work we are ready to do with the funds BP committed and [Gov. Bobby Jindal] helped us secure for the injuries of last year’s oil spill. …We are confident in that these projects will start the process of restoring Louisiana’s natural resources.”

“These two projects are a good start,” Gov. Bobby Jindal said. “We hope to be announcing more projects that utilize all the finds that BP has committed to ensure our coast and communities are quickly and fully restored from the spill.”

Additional efforts include cultch projects and artificial reef placement in Mississippi, sand dune and salt marsh building in Alabama, and boat-ramp enhancement and sand dune projects in Florida.

“We know recovery from the disaster will be a major undertaking,” Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said. “Terrebonne Parish is very encouraged by the news of these projects moving forward, as it shows all parties are trying to make Louisiana and the rest of the Gulf Coast whole again.”

News crews get a look at marsh areas of Terrebonne Parish in advance of the announcement that an oyster cultch project as well as marsh development are among the priorities for BP coastal restoration funding in Louisiana. MIKE NIXON