Canal Reclamation at Barataria Preserve

Planning Process

The NPS expects to release an Environmental
Assessment (EA) for public review in January 2010.
The EA will be available for public review and comment
for 30 days. Written comments received on the EA will
be reviewed to determine whether any new important
issues or reasonable alternatives or mitigation measures
have been suggested. If substantive issues are raised
which point to the potential for significant impacts, an
Environmental Impact Statement would be prepared,
otherwise a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
is expected.

For More Information

If you have questions about the project or would like more
information, please visit http://parkplanning.nps.gov/jela
or contact:
Haigler “Dusty” Pate
Natural Resource Program Manager
504 589-3882 ext 119
Or send email to jela_superintendent@nps.gov

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
419 Decatur St.
New Orleans, LA 70130

Project Background

As a result of funding made available through the 2009 enactment of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the National Park Service (NPS) is soliciting public comments on a
proposed project that would reclaim more than 20 miles of canals in the Barataria Preserve, a unit
of the Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. The proposed project would restore functions,
resources, and values related to hydrology in the park that are affected by non-historic canals and
spoilbanks, and increase the resiliency of park ecosystems to subsidence, sea level rise, and storm events.

Potential alternatives include the reclamation of canals by
degrading their spoilbanks and dikes built by developers
to the level of the surrounding wetlands, and partially
filling the open water with this material. This is a
restoration technique that has been widely used in wetland
habitats in southeast Louisiana, and has previously been
used successfully in the Barataria Preserve.

Oil and gas exploration, development, and transportation,
along with unsuccessful residential development projects,
have scarred the landscape of the Barataria Preserve with
man-made canals and drillslips (canals). More than 590
acres of the Preserve are directly affected by these

non-historic canals and associated spoilbanks and dikes, and
more than 20 linear miles of canals have been identified
for reclamation throughout the preserve.

Canals and their associated spoilbanks alter hydrology and
have both a direct and an indirect role in Louisiana’s land
loss problem. Directly, canals have turned marsh to open
water and spoilbanks have replaced marsh with an upland
environment. Indirectly, spoilbanks restrict water flow
above and below the marsh surface and can cause both
increased flooding and drying of the marsh behind them.

This hydrologic alteration can limit sediment deposition,
stress marsh vegetation, increase subsidence, and lead to
marsh deterioration. Other impacts include amplification
of tidal volumes and increased saltwater intrusion. In
addition, the vegetated communities in wetlands adjacent
to canal dredging sites have changed, and the canals and
spoilbanks are now colonized by exotic species. Wetlands
benefit coastal communities by providing protection from
flooding, helping to maintain water quality, and providing
habitat for fish and wildlife, including estuarine organisms,
wintering waterfowl, and neotropical migrant birds. The
loss of these wetland functions due to the construction of
canals continues to adversely affect the Preserve.

NPS policies call for the restoration and active
management of resources damaged or compromised in
the past, including wetlands and floodplains. In addition,
the legislation creating the park specifically instructs that
the freshwater drainage patterns, vegetative cover, integrity
of ecological and biological systems, and water quality
be preserved and protected within the Barataria Preserve
(16 U.S.C §230a(c)). Canals impede natural functions and
undermine the ability of the park to preserve and protect
those values.

Purpose and Need for Project

The purpose of this project is to restore functions,
resources, and values related to hydrology in the park that
are affected by non-historic canals and spoilbanks; and
increase the resiliency of park ecosystems to subsidence,
sea level rise, and storm events.
This project is needed at this time because:
• The indirect effects of canals and spoilbanks on the
park are continual stressors on park resources and
values, with continued adverse effects on natural
hydrology, ecology, water quality, and wetland
functions and values.
• Combined with other sources of cumulative adverse
impacts, canals have resulted in increased rates
of land loss in the park, the Barataria estuary, and
throughout coastal Louisiana.
• The NPS currently has an opportunity to fund
the restoration of resources affected by canals
and spoilbanks in the park in part because of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The work
would create jobs in the local economy, which is a
goal of this legislation.

Public Comment

The NPS is inviting the public to provide input regarding
this project, also known as “Public Scoping.” Issues and
concerns from the public, government agencies, and
organizations will assist the NPS in preparation of an
Environmental Assessment (EA). Public comments will be
accepted until October 31, 2009. Submit comments to:
Superintendent
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve
419 Decatur St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Attn: Canal Reclamation at Barataria Preserve
Online at: www.parkplanning.nps.gov/jela (click on project)
By email to: jela_superintendent@nps.gov
Please be sure to include your full name and address with
the comments so we may add you to our mailing list for
information on the planning process.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail
address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, be advised that your entire comment—including
your personal identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your
comment to withhold from public review your personal
identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.