The Atchafalaya River Master Plan team wants to hear from you about what projects should be considered as part of the new planning process that launched earlier this year.
Starting in November and running through Jan. 31, 2025, the Atchafalaya River Master Plan team, led by the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and a number of contractors, will be accepting project ideas that will be analyzed and vetted for inclusion in the plan.
The plan, much like the state’s Coastal Master Plan, will provide the vision for the Atchafalaya River basin and guide project prioritization and funding towards larger goals of restoring natural process, ensure management of habitats for the basin’s health, protecting cultural heritage, and support the Atchafalaya River as a working river system. While the plan won’t address flood risk, how water moves through the system is a big concern with impounding of water in certain areas leading to stagnant areas where sediment is accumulating or areas that aren’t getting enough water.
Proposed projects need to fit one or more of the following seven types: hydrologic restoration, freshwater diversion, sediment diversion, dredging and placement of material, sediment trapping, shoreline protection, and recreational use and access. The project must also align with one or more of the master plan’s objectives of preserving natural processes, habitats, cultural heritage, and support a working river system.
At a recent series of meetings to provide more information on how to submit projects, the team gave some useful tips on filling out the online forms required for submitting a project.
The first step is to open the Candidate Project Solicitation webpage.
The application process is user-friendly, but if you get stuck there is an easy-to-follow walk through video on the page (or here on YouTube)
When you’re ready to start filling out the online form, it’s recommended that you open the survey in a new tab (click the link directly under “The Survey”) and have a word document open as well where you can write your answers. Later, you can copy and paste your answers into the form. Since there is no mid-way save option on the survey, it’s best to write your responses in a separate document first.
Next, you get to name the project, but try to use something that’s geographically descriptive, i.e. “Grimmett Canal Improvements” is much more helpful than “Bob’s Bridge.
Then you’ll be asked to briefly describe the problem your project would address, why it’s important, how your project will address the problem, and how the benefits are related to the four objectives of the master plan.
Sometimes throughout the form, you may not have an answer to a question such as total estimated cost of the project. That’s ok. Just note the unknown in the description and the team can contact you if there is any clarifying needed.
The rest of the form will be different depending on which of the seven project types you select, but in general you’ll be asked to identify the project location and the location of any aspects of the project if there are multiple.
You can submit as many projects as you’d like. As the team analyzes the projects over the next couple months, if a project moves on to the next step or if it is eliminated, the person who submitted the project will be notified. At any time, you can email the AtchafalayaBasin@la.gov with questions or if you need help with the project submittal form.
Happy submitting!