Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority

Location

The South Central Project is located in Iberia, St. Mary, and St. Martin Parishes.

Issue Addressed

The problems within the South Central Project area are similar to those experienced along the entire Louisiana Coastal Zone and are caused primarily by land loss and storm- induced flooding. Without action, the South Central area will continue to be at risk from catastrophic hurricane storm events.

Project Goals

The project is a CPRA effort to identify opportunities for hurricane protection and coastal restoration within the area. The primary goal is to develop a comprehensive plan to provide hurricane and storm damage risk reduction and to provide coastal restoration measures to achieve ecosystem sustainability.
The 2012 Master Plan recommended major hurricane levees for the region, shoreline protection in Vermilion and West Cote Blanche Bay, oyster reef restoration, ridge restoration, and non–structural measures.

Project Status

South Central is utilizing 100 percent state funds from legislative and surplus sources. To date, $1.2 million has been provided to the project. The path forward for the project includes: 1) working with the Iberia and St. Mary Levee Boards, 2) advancing specific hydrologic modeling, preliminary engineering and permitting activities, 3) and seeking to incorporate South Central funding in future Annual Plan budgets.