Mississippi River Long Distance Sediment Pipeline Project Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Meeting August 19 th, 2009

Presentation Overview Goals and Funding Project Implementation Potential Alternatives Crossover Site Selection Interaction with other Projects Current Activities Schedule

Project Goal Design and construct an efficient sediment delivery pipeline system from a renewable resource in the Mississippi River to strategic locations in Barataria Basin.

Project Funding This project is funded by the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) and Surplus Funds. Current project budget is approximately $66.5M –CIAP $34M –Surplus $32.5M CIAP funds contributed by the State of Louisiana and Plaquemines, Jefferson, and Lafourche Parishes

Phased Implementation Expedited Phase 1: –Perform comprehensive planning –Select the “crossover” location –Design and construct the “crossover” infrastructure (construction advertisement planned for December 2009) Later Phases: Design and construction of pipeline extensions into “Area of Need” placement sites in the Barataria Basin

Potential “Crossover” Sites Criteria for selection: –Proximity to Area of Need –Land Rights and Development Constraints –Constructability –Sediment Sources –Oyster Leases

Potential Crossover Sites

Potential Sediment Sources Areas shallower than -70ft

Screening Criteria of Crossover Site Sediment Supply: – Renewable borrow sources – Proximity to beneficial use opportunities River Navigation & Existing River Bank Facilities Land rights Environmental & Permitting: – Impacts to oyster leases – Environmental impacts – Permitting constraints Restoration Objectives: – Proximity and access to restoration opportunities – Restoration benefits Costs: – Distances to Areas of Need – Distance to Lafourche Parish – Crossings – Use of existing infrastructure – Synergistic opportunities with other projects – Connection to natural corridor (e.g., waterway)

West Point a la Hache Location Straightforward land rights Nearby renewable borrow sites with no navigation issues Proximity to beneficial sediment reuse opportunities Greater indirect benefits by reducing storm and salinity impacts to large areas to the north Proximity to an existing corridor that provides access to large portions of the Barataria Basin Potential to combine permitting efforts with Lake Hermitage project and reduce schedule Potential to link on-going marsh creation projects

Interaction with other Projects Lake Hermitage and West Point a la Hache can “piggy- back” on the Crossover project – Cost savings – Streamline permitting schedule (permit modification only) – Multiple existing projects can use same pipeline and infrastructure crossing – Maximum use of existing data collection efforts – Previously designed marsh creation project with permitted borrow source to begin using Long Distance Sediment Pipeline infrastructure immediately

Current Activities Land Rights Acquisition Field-data collection Preliminary Design Cost Estimating Stakeholder Presentations Over-all project planning (Phase I & II) –Detailed modeling of borrow source re-fill rates –Geomorphic analysis of regional sediment budgets –Corridor alignments and placement sites –Pipeline construction methodology –Scheduling

Schedule 30% Design: August 2009 Crossover Permit Modification Application: –“Pre-Application” Meeting June 2009 –Permit Modification Request September 2009 Final (95%) Design: October 2009 Bid Documents: November 2009 Advertise for Construction: December 2009

Laura Belden, P.E. (225)