Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act

Mission

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) was passed by Congress in 1990 to fund wetland enhancement. In co-operation with multiple government agencies, CWPPRA is moving forward to restore the lost wetlands of the Gulf Coast as well as protecting the wetlands from future deterioration. The scope of the mission is not simply for the restoration of Louisiana’s Wetlands, but also the research and implementation of preventative measures for wetlands preservation.

CWPPRA is a partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the NOAA- National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the State of Louisiana.

CWPPRA

The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) is also known as the Breaux Act due to the involvement of Louisiana U.S. Senator John Breaux

John Breaux

John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...

in the Act’s passage.
The Act has several Mandates:

Create a task Force including the secretaries of the Army, Interior, Agriculture and Commerce, the Administrator of EPA and the Governor of Louisiana
Submit a Priority Project List each year
Submit a status report to Congress every three years
Include demonstration projects
Produce a state coastal restoration plan that includes:
a goal of achieving no net loss of wetlands from development
designation of a single state agency responsible for implementation and enforcement
means to account for wetland gains and losses
assurance that the state will have adequate personnel, funding and authority to implement the plan
public education activities
encourage use of technology by developers to reduce impacts on wetlands
review of ways to assist landowners in wetland protection
Study the feasibility of increasing flow and sediment from the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

to the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
Contributed costs as 75 percent federal/ 25 percent state until the submission of a comprehensive coastal restoration plan, after which the allocation is 85 percent federal, 15 percent state
Allow for up to 10 percent of the state share to be in the form of in-kind contributions such as land, easement or right-of-ways

Since 1990, 91 CWPPRA Projects have been complete or are currently under construction.

Basin Project Areas

There are 9 Hydrologic Basins in which CWPPRA projects are taking place:
- Atchafalaya
  Atchafalaya Basin
  The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...
  
  (AT)
- Barataria (BA)
- Brenton Sound (BS)
- Calcasieu/ Sabine (CS)
- Coastal Louisiana (LA) Encompasses all basins in the region
- Mermentau (ME)
- Mississippi River (MS)
- Pontchartrain
  Lake Pontchartrain
  Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
  
  (PO)
- Terrebonne (TE)
- Teche/ Vermilion (TV)

**Projects By Parish**
Parish	Project Number
Acadia Acadia Parish, Louisiana Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...	LA-03a
Ascension Ascension Parish, Louisiana Ascension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the fastest growing parish in the state. Its population is 107,215 which is 39.9% greater than the 2000 census...	BA-25b, LA-03b, PO-29
Assumption Assumption Parish, Louisiana Assumption Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and was formed in 1807 as an original parish of the Louisiana Territory. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. In 2000, its population was 23,388. Assumption is one of the 22 Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugarcane...	BA-25b, LA-03a
Calcasieu Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Calcasieu Parish[p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lake Charles. As of 2010, the parish population was 192,768...	CS-09, CS-22, CS-24, CS-27, CS-30, LA-03a, LA-03b
Cameron Cameron Parish, Louisiana Cameron Parish is the parish with the most land area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Cameron and as of 2010, the population was 6,839...	CS-04a, CS-09, CS-11b, CS-17, CS-18, CS-19, CS-20, CS-21, CS-23, CS-25, CS-26, CS-27, CS-28-1, CS-28-2, CS-28-3, CS-28-4, CS-28-5, CS-29, CS-31, CS-32, LA-03a, LA-03b, ME-09, ME-11, ME-16, ME-17, ME-18, ME-19, ME-20, ME-21a, ME-21b, ME-24
East Baton Rouge East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171. The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the most populous parish in the state...	LA-03b
Iberia Iberia Parish, Louisiana Iberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...	LA-03a, LA-03b, TV-13a, TV-14, TV-19, TV-21
Iberville Iberville Parish, Louisiana Iberville Parish is a parish located south of Baton Rouge in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Plaquemine. The 2010 population of the parish was 33,387....	LA-03b
Jefferson Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....	BA-03c, BA-19, BA-20, BA-21, BA-23, BA-26, BA-27, BA-27c, BA-27d, BA-28, BA-29, BA-30, BA-33, BA-36, BA-39, BA-41, BA-48, LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05
Jefferson Davis Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana Jefferson Davis Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Jennings. As of 2000, its population was 31,435. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis. It is located in southwestern...	LA-03b
Lafayette Lafayette Parish, Louisiana Lafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....	LA-03b
Lafourche Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Lafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...	BA-02, BA-18, BA-22, BA-25b, BA-33, BA-37, LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, TE-10, TE-23, TE-25, TE-30, TE-31, TE-52
Livingston Livingston Parish, Louisiana Livingston Parish Is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is Livingston. As of 2010, its population was 128,026....	LA-03a, LA-03b
Orleans	LA-03a, LA-03b, PO-16, PO-18, PO-22, PO-34
Plaquemines Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Plaquemines Parish is the parish with the most combined land and water area in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Pointe à la Hache...	BA-03c, BA-04c, BA-24, BA-33, BA-35, BA-38, BA-39, BA-40, BA-42, BA-47, BS-03a, BS-04a, BS-07, BS-09, BS-10, BS-11, BS-12, BS-13, BS-15, LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, MR-03, MR-06, MR-07, MR-08, MR-09, MR-10, MR-11, MR-12, MR-13, MR-14, PO-27
St. Bernard St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana St. Bernard Parish is a parish located southeast of New Orleans in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Chalmette, the largest city in the parish. As of 2000, its population was 67,229. It has been ranked the fastest-growing county in the United States from 2007 to 2008 by the U.S....	LA-03a, LA-03b, PO-09a, PO-19, PO-24, PO-25, PO-27, PO-30, PO-31, PO-32
St. Charles St. Charles Parish, Louisiana St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...	BA-15, LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, PO-17, PO-26, PO-28
St. James	BA-25b, BA-34, LA-03a, LA-03b, PO-20, PO-29
St. John the Baptist St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana St. John the Baptist Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana.The parish seat is Edgard, an unincorporated area and the unofficial parish captial is LaPlace, an unincorporated area. St. John the Baptist is one of the original 19 parishes in Louisiana. In 2010, its population was...	LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, PO-29
St. Martin St. Martin Parish, Louisiana St. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...	LA-03a, LA-03b, TE-33
St. Mary St. Mary Parish, Louisiana St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...	AT-02, AT-03, AT-04, LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, TE-35, TE-49, TV-04, TV-15, TV-20
St. Tammany St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....	LA-03a, LA-03b, PO-06, PO-21, PO-33
Tangipahoa Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...	LA-03a, LA-03b
Terrebonne Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...	LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-05, TE-17, TE-18, TE-19, TE-20, TE-22, TE-24, TE-26, TE-27, TE-28, TE-29, TE-32a, TE-34, TE-36, TE-37, TE-39, TE-40, TE-41, TE-43, TE-44, TE-45, TE-46, TE-47, TE-48, TE-50, TE-51
Vermilion Vermilion Parish, Louisiana Vermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Abbeville. As of the 2010 census, the population was 57,999....	LA-03a, LA-03b, LA-06, ME-04, ME-08, ME-12, ME-13, ME-14, ME-22, ME-23, TV-03, TV-09, TV-11b, TV-12, TV-13a, TV-16, TV-17, TV-18
West Baton Rouge West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana West Baton Rouge Parish is one of the sixty-four parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and is the smallest in total area. The parish seat is Port Allen and as of 2010, the population was 23,788. The parish has a highly-rated school system and is one of the few in Louisiana that has privatized...	LA-03a

CWPPRA’s Restoration Project List

Project Types

Water and Sediment Diversion – Diversions allow fresh water from the Mississippi or Atchafalaya rivers to be re-introduced through wetland areas. The flows provide the wetlands with a new source of sediment and nutrients and combat saltwater intrusion.
Outfall Management – Employed in conjunction with diversion projects, outfall management regulates water levels and flows, increasing the dispersion and retention time of fresh water, nutrients and sediment.
Hydrologic Restoration – This type of project reverts human-altered and troublesome drainage patterns toward more natural drainage patterns.
Shoreline Protection – Shoreline protection projects are designed to reduce or halt shoreline erosion.
Barrier Island Restoration – Designed to protect and restore barrier islands, this project type employs a variety of techniques, such as depositing dredged material to increase an island’s size, placing rock breakwaters to reduce wave erosion, and placing sand-trapping fences and vegetative plantings to build and stabilize beaches and dunes.
Dredged Material Marsh Creation – Projects of this nature utilize dredged material, placing it in deteriorated wetlands or open water so that marsh plants will grow and form new marsh.
Sediment and Nutrient Trapping – Sediment and nutrient trapping is achieved by constructing or placing structures designed to slow water flow and promote the buildup of sediment.
Vegetative Planting – Used both separately and in conjunction with other project types, various kinds of marsh vegetation are planted to hold sediment together and stabilize soil.

Many restoration projects employ two or more restoration techniques.

Benefits of CWPPRA Projects

Benefits that CWPPRA projects contribute:

Protection or reclamation of wetland acreage
Protection or creation of estuarine and marine habitats
Natural buffers that mitigate wind, wave and storm surge damage to communities, infrastructure and hurricane protection structures
Protection of oil and gas pipelines and distribution networks
Storm floodwater storage
Filtration and purification of water
Nurseries for fisheries
Wildlife habitat
Data to create a baseline of wetland conditions and to evaluate the efficacy of various approaches to wetland restoration

CWPPRA Task Force Members

The task force consists of the State of Louisiana and five Federal Agencies:

State of Louisiana Governor's Office
U.S. Department of Defense
(U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (New Orleans District))
U.S. Department of Interior
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)
U.S. Department of Commerce
(NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Contact information for CWPPRA Task Force members can be found at LACoast.gov.

The Hurricane Effect

In 2005, two of the United States' most devastating hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast (Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

, August 2005; Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...

, September 2005). Their impact gained national attention due to the vast property damage and loss of life. These two storms also impacted CWPPRA efforts for coastal restoration, for the better. As scientists and policy makers seek ways to protect coastal communities and industries from future hurricanes, they look to the marshes and barrier islands that form the coast’s first line of hurricane defense. This is magnifying the importance of CWPPRA and related projects and the necessity for the successful restoration of the coastal wetlands.

More recently, in 2008, Hurricanes Gustav

Hurricane Gustav

The name Gustav has been used for five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean:* 1984's Tropical Storm Gustav - Spent most of its existence as a tropical depression hovering over Bermuda, no major damage was reported....

and Ike

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...

have left their mark on Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands. Experts are comparing Hurricane Ike's impacts to those of Hurricane Rita in 2005. Assessment of the impact is on-going and may not be fully realized for sometime.