May 2, 2000

Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA), Louisiana,  Ecosystem Restoration;  Barrier Island Restoration Feasibility Study

Scoping Process

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) provides for an early and open public process for determining the scope of issues, resources, impacts, and alternatives to be addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This process is referred to as the Scoping Process. The purpose of this document is to announce a scoping meeting for the Louisiana Coastal Area, Louisiana--Ecosystem Restoration, Barrier Island Restoration Barataria Basin Feasibility Study that the Corps of Engineers is conducting with the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR), in cooperation with the U.S. Minerals Management Service. Ideas and issues identified in the scoping process can be incorporated into the EIS process, thereby reducing chances for reformulation or reassessment after the public review of the draft EIS.

Study Purpose

The purpose of the proposed action is as follows: 1) In general, the purpose of the Coast 2050 Plan is to sustain a coastal ecosystem that supports and protects the environment, economy, and culture of southern Louisiana, and that contributes greatly to the economy and well-being of the nation. 2) The purpose of the Coast 2050 strategies for the Barataria Basin is to restore and/or protect the natural and human environment to create a sustainable ecosystem in the Barataria Basin within the context of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including coastal Louisiana. 3) The purpose of the Coast 2050 Plan's barrier shoreline restoration strategy for the Barataria Basin (R2-22 strategy, Figure 1) is to provide and sustain the unique ecological integrity of barrier islands, headlands, and shoreline. Habitats of concern include shoreface, beach, dune, maritime forest, back-barrier marsh, bays, and passes.

Study Alternatives

The proposed action would consist of the reformation of the barrier shoreline from the Caminada-Moreau Headland at the mouth of Bayou Lafourche on the west to Sandy Point on the east. The shoreline would have the ecological attributes of shoreface, beach, dune, back-barrier marsh, bays, passes, and maritime forest if possible. The reformation work could extend Gulfward to approximately the -5.0 foot contour and up to about 1,000 feet in the bayside direction from the edge of the back-barrier marsh (Figure 2). On the eastern fringe where a large distance has opened between remnant barrier islands and interior marsh, work could extend into the bays up to about 2,500 feet. Larger passes such as Barataria Pass would be left open. Smaller passes may be closed. Sand for reformation would be obtained from nearby coastal bays, the Mississippi River, or from Federal and state waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A combination of sand sources may be used for restoration of these features. If sand is obtained from Federal waters, a non-competitive lease would need to be obtained by the LDNR from the Minerals Management Service. The Minerals Management Service will ensure that information needed by them to make a decision about a lease will be included in the EIS. Also, the benefits of providing geomorphic features at the barrier shoreline to inland areas will be considered in the EIS.

Figure 1. Location of R2-22 Strategy in the Barataria Basin.

Figure 2. General area where barrier shoreline restoration efforts would occur.

Alternatives- The no-action alternative must be evaluated and retained throughout the study. The action alternatives will be compared to the no- action alternative to determine impacts. Additionally, the Barataria Basin portion of the recommended plan from the LDNR Barrier Shoreline Feasibility Study will be investigated. The recommended plan from that study would rebuild dunes at the Caminada-Moreau Headland. The recommendation from that study for the Plaquemines shoreline from Grand Terre to east of Sandy Point is to recreate a dune and marsh platform stabilized with a rock revetment along the gulf shoreline. In addition, another alternative to be evaluated in detail will be developed during the scoping process.

Resources/Issues to be addressed in the EIS

An initial list of significant resources to be evaluated in the EIS includes elements of the natural environment, such as plants and animals, natural waterways, and waterbodies, and elements of the man-made environment, such as water quality, drainage patterns, floodplains, air quality, noise, hazardous wastes, socioeconomics, transportation, and historic and cultural resources.

Public Action Requested

A scoping meeting will be held on June 8, 2000 beginning at 7:00 PM in the Century Room of the John L. Guidry Stadium located on Audubon Drive of Nicholls State University Campus, Thibodaux, LA 70301. The entrance to the Century Room is a red door under the stadium. The scoping meeting will begin with a brief description of the EIS process, the Corps study process, and the study alternatives. Scoping meeting participants will then be divided into smaller groups. A facilitator for each small group will record the participants' answers to the following questions:

Question #1. What are the most important issues, resources, and impacts that we should consider in the EIS? 

Question #2. Are there any other alternatives or modifications to existing alternatives that we should consider in the EIS?

Scoping meeting participants, and other interested parties, are requested to provide answers to the two questions as well as other areas of concern to them. Comments will be summarized and described in a "Scoping Document" that will be made available to the participants. In addition to comments made at the scoping meeting, written comments will be accepted by letters postmarked no later than 30 days from the date of this announcement.

For Further Information

Interested parties are encouraged to express their concerns at any time during the study process. Questions regarding the proposed study should be addressed to the Project Manager, Mr. Edmond Russo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning, Programs and Project Management Division, CEMVN-PM-C, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160-0267, telephone (504) 862-1496. Questions regarding the EIS should be addressed to Mr. Robert Martinson, CEMVN-PM-RS, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, Louisiana 70160-0267, telephone (504) 862-2582.