On August 4, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (LTIG) issued their latest plan to restore coastal wetlands, marshes, and habitats previously damaged by the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. The plan focuses on four project goals to be accomplished:
- Two projects for engineering and design:
- New Orleans East Landbridge Restoration will provide engineering and design for a project intended to create and restore marsh habitat that separates Lake Pontchartrain from Lake Borgne and the Gulf of Mexico.
- Raccoon Island Barrier Island Restoration will provide engineering and design for a project intended to create and enhance beach, dune, and tidal habitats through sand fill placement and shoreline protection.
- Two projects are selected for construction:
- Bayou Dularge Ridge and Marsh Creation is intended to create and nourish marsh on the south side of Bayou Dularge and restore the ridge along the southern bank of Bayou Dularge.
- Bayou La Loutre Ridge Restoration and Marsh Creation is intended to create and nourish marsh along Lena Lagoon, and restore the ridge along the southern bank of Bayou La Loutre.
This plan is estimated to total around $75 million in recovery costs to complete these four projects. (NOAA Fisheries, 2022).
Wetland Habitat Loss
The Deepwater Horizon spill caused innumerable injuries to marine and coastal wildlife and habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. It is estimated that over 687 miles of wetlands along the Gulf Coast were lost from exposure to oil, vegetation loss, and accelerated erosion (NOAA, 2016). This loss is not only an incredible detriment to the natural environment, but proved to impact the residents of the Gulf states as well. Coastal wetlands and barrier islands across the Gulf Coast provide several ecosystem services like storm protection and flood control measures.
The Louisiana coastline is known for experiencing the most rapid decline of shoreline and coastal wetlands in the Nation. Within the state, there are over 3 million acres of wetlands, accounting for 40% of wetlands in the United States (U.S. Geological Survey, n.d.). As a result of the oil contamination along the Gulf, the rate of wetland decline in Louisiana has almost doubled (The National Wildlife Federation, n.d.).
The rapid decline of coastal marshes after the DWH spill stems from the direct contamination of wetland vegetation. Claudia Copeland and M. Lynne Corn stated in their research article for the Congressional Research Service that continuous exposure to oil can cause wetland vegetation to suffocate and die. Thus, causing the soil to collapse and accelerate the rate of soil erosion and overall wetland loss (Corn & Copeland, 2010).
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council
The Trustee Council consists of numerous state and federal agencies that study the effects of the spill and work towards recovering the Gulf Coast (Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council, n.d.). The state agencies of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida work closely with U.S. EPA, the Dept. of Agriculture, NOAA, and the Dept. of Interior. Each state leads their respective implementation group to focus on specific areas damaged by the spill.
In 2020, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restore Council published a comprehensive 10-year status report on the restoration projects throughout the Gulf. In their report, they state that about $177 million has been approved thus far to initiate 46 restoration projects throughout the Gulf (Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restore Council, 2020). Projects throughout the Gulf states are in various stages of progress to focus on engineering and design, water quality, habitat restoration, and nature-based tourism (NOAA, 2020).
Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats
The LTIGs Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #8: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats is one of several installments for the Trustee Councils programmatic restoration plan. As outlined by the Councils by-laws, this plan is in aims to:
- Restore a variety of interspersed and ecologically connected coastal habitats in each of the five Gulf states to maintain ecosystem diversity, with particular focus on maximizing ecological functions for the range of resources injured by the spill, such as oysters, estuarine-dependent fish species, birds, marine mammals, and nearshore benthic communities.
- Restore for injuries to habitats in the geographic areas where the injuries occurred, while considering approaches that provide resiliency and sustainability.
- While acknowledging the existing distribution of habitats throughout the Gulf of Mexico, restore habitats in appropriate combinations for any given geographic area. Consider design factors, such as connectivity, size, and distance between projects, to address injuries to the associated living coastal and marine resources and restore the ecological functions provided by those habitats. (LTIG, 2022)
With the focus on restoring these four barrier island sites, these projects are instrumental to bolstering the sustainability of Louisiana’s coastline and mitigating the environmental injuries caused by the DWH oil spill.
Sources:
Corn, M.L. & Copeland, C. (2010). The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Coastal wetland and wildlife impacts and response. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://highschoolenergy.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/policy/acsonthehill/briefings/oilspillmitigation/crs-r41311.pdf
Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council. (n.d.). Trustees: Working together. NOAA. Retrieved from https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/co-trustees
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restore Council. (2020). Restore council: 10-year commemoration report. Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restore Council. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/documents/restorereport2020_v6.pdf
Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group. (2022). Final restoration plan/environmental assessment #8: Restoration of wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats. Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group. Retrieved from https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-08-LA-Final-RP-EA8-w-appendices-508.pdf
NOAA Fisheries. (2022). NOAA Fisheries Bulletin: Louisiana Trustees Approve Plan to Restore Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats. Retrieved from https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USNOAAFISHERIES/bulletins/326a578
NOAA. (2016). Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on coastal salt marsh habitat. Office of Response and Restoration. Retrieved from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/effects-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-coastal-salt-marsh-habitat.html
The National Wildlife Federation. (n.d.). Deepwater Horizon’s impact on wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved from https://www.nwf.org/oilspill
U.S. Geological Survey. (n.d.). Louisiana coastal wetlands: A resource at risk. USGS. Retrieved from https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/la-wetlands/