CPRA wants Congress to step up

With $780 million in local and state funds spent or dedicated to construction of parts of the Morganza to the Gulf hurricane levee system, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority board voted unanimously Aug. 15 to request Congress grant the levee project "new start" status that would make it eligible for federal money. The CPRA also asked that Congress begin appropriating the 65 percent federal share of the project's $10.3B construction cost. About 45 percent of the Morganza levee system, from Larose to Golden Meadow hurricane levee westward to Gibson, has completed its first-lift standards with earthen levees raised to 10 feet, and floodwalls, surge gates, and lock structures to 18 feet. Congress has authorized construction of the levee project three times: In 2000, 2007, and 2014. In December 2014, Congress authorized it at a cost of $10.3B, but didn’t appropriate funding for construction. “We'll be in excess of $800 million and still zero appropriations from the United States Congress for a federal project protecting over 200,000 people," said Terrebonne Parish Levee and Conservation District executive director Reginald Dupre. (Source: NOLA.com 08/20/18) The primary purpose of the Morganza to the Gulf of Mexico proposed project is hurricane and storm damage risk reduction. The area is significantly affected by tides emanating from the Gulf of Mexico, according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' website. Deterioration of coastal marshes as a result of saltwater intrusion, land subsidence and the lack of interchanges from the Mississippi River have steadily increased storm surge inundation over time.