Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority

BATON ROUGE, La. – Officials from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently signed a Noncompetitive Negotiated Agreement (NNA) authorizing the use of up to four million cubic yards of sand to repair West Belle Headland following damage caused by Hurricane Zeta.

Originally part of the Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island and Beach Nourishment project, work on West Belle Headland was nearing completion when Hurricane Zeta made landfall in October 2020, causing significant damage to the project, including the loss of nearly 75% of the sand and mixed sediment that had already been placed.

West Belle Headland supports high-quality nesting habitat, provides resilience to the communities of Lafourche Parish, and helps protect Port Fourchon from storm surge.

The rebuild will be constructed entirely from sand dredged from federal waters, making the project more resilient than the original design, which incorporated a near-shore mixed sediment source. The agreement with BOEM is a crucial component in completing the repairs, as sand is the optimal material for nourishing and sustaining Louisiana’s barrier islands.

“We incorporate maintenance and monitoring in the design of all of our projects, but when a powerful storm like Hurricane Zeta makes a direct impact on a project site, we sometimes have to go back to the drawing board to ensure we are building the strongest, most sustainable project for the environment and elements,” said CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare. “In addition to the outstanding work of our engineers and project managers, we rely on our partners to get these projects across the finish line. We have a long-standing relationship with BOEM and continue to value their support in our efforts to restore and nourish our barrier islands and shorelines. Today’s agreement is another example of how invaluable our partnership with BOEM remains.”

Through its Marine Minerals Program, BOEM provides sand, gravel, and/or shell resources from federal waters on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for shore protection, beach nourishment, and wetlands restoration. The nearly four million cubic yards of sand for the West Belle Headland Repair will come from two borrow sites on the Ship Shoal sand body.

“BOEM values its partnership with the state of Louisiana. Restoring the coastline devastated by hurricanes continues to be a priority for our bureau,” said BOEM Gulf of America Regional Supervisor Matthew Wilson. “Utilizing sand from the Outer Continental Shelf not only fights the effects of coastal erosion, it helps bolster critical infrastructure.”

Due to the damage caused by the storm, the CPRA is pursuing funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance program to complete the project.

To date, the project has received $722,150 from FEMA to complete design and environmental review. FEMA is reviewing the final plans from CPRA to make a decision regarding construction funding. CPRA anticipates a decision from FEMA later this year and plans to put the project out for bid in the fall.

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