Coastal Wetlands: Lessons Learned from Past Efforts in Louisiana 
Could Help Guide Future Restoration and Protection (14-DEC-07,	 
GAO-08-130).							 
                                                                 
Louisiana, home to 40 percent of all coastal wetlands in the	 
lower 48 states, is projected to lose almost 17 square miles of  
coastline each year for the next 50 years to storms, sea level	 
rise, and land subsidence. Coastal wetlands are an important	 
wildlife and commercial resource, and provide a natural buffer	 
against the storm surge that accompanies storms and hurricanes.  
The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act	 
(CWPPRA) established a program in 1990 that undertakes projects  
to stem coastal wetland losses. Recently, the Congress passed	 
other measures that will make billions in new funding available  
for coastal Louisiana over the next 20 years. GAO has prepared	 
this report under the Comptroller General's authority as part of 
a continued effort to assist the Congress. GAO reviewed the	 
CWPPRA program to identify the (1) types of projects that have	 
been designed and constructed to restore and protect coastal	 
wetlands, as well as their estimated costs and benefits, and (2) 
lessons learned from past and ongoing restoration efforts that	 
can help guide future efforts. GAO's review included interviews  
with each program agency. Although GAO is not making any	 
recommendations, this review emphasizes the need for agencies to 
carefully consider the lessons learned from the CWPPRA program as
they propose significantly larger efforts to restore Louisiana's 
coast. GAO received technical comments from two agencies which	 
have been incorporated as appropriate.				 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-08-130 					        
    ACCNO:   A78910						        
  TITLE:     Coastal Wetlands: Lessons Learned from Past Efforts in   
Louisiana Could Help Guide Future Restoration and Protection	 
     DATE:   12/14/2007 
  SUBJECT:   Conservation programs				 
	     Cost analysis					 
	     Environmental law					 
	     Environmental monitoring				 
	     Environmental policies				 
	     Environmental protection				 
	     Federal aid to states				 
	     Federal/state relations				 
	     Funds management					 
	     Land management					 
	     Land reclamation					 
	     Land use						 
	     Lessons learned					 
	     Policy evaluation					 
	     Program evaluation 				 
	     Schedule slippages 				 
	     Wetlands						 
	     Wildlife conservation				 
	     Benefit-cost tracking				 
	     Cost estimates					 
	     Program goals or objectives			 
	     Program implementation				 
	     Louisiana						 

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GAO-08-130

   

     * [1]Results in Brief
     * [2]Background

          * [3]Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act
          * [4]Additional Funding to Restore and Protect Louisiana Coastal

     * [5]Various Projects Have Been Designed and Constructed to Resto

          * [6]Estimated Cost for CWPPRA Projects That Restore and Protect
          * [7]Project Costs Vary Significantly, and Most Restored Wetlands

     * [8]Accomplishments and Challenges to Restoring Louisiana's Coas

          * [9]Agency Officials Consider an Interagency Structure and Colla
          * [10]Restoration Efforts Face Various Planning and Implementation

     * [11]Concluding Observations
     * [12]Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
     * [13]GAO Comments
     * [14]GAO Contact
     * [15]Staff Acknowledgments

          * [16]Order by Mail or Phone

Report to Congressional Addressees

United States Government Accountability Office

GAO

December 2007

COASTAL WETLANDS

Lessons Learned from Past Efforts in Louisiana Could Help Guide Future
Restoration and Protection

GAO-08-130

Contents

Letter 1

Results in Brief 5
Background 8
Various Projects Have Been Designed and Constructed to Restore and Protect
Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands 14
Accomplishments and Challenges to Restoring Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands
Provide Lessons Learned for Future Restoration Efforts 29
Concluding Observations 36
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 37
Appendix I Summary Schedules of CWPPRA Projects 40
Appendix II Comments from the Department of Commerce 52
GAO Comments 54
Appendix III Comments from the Environmental Protection Agency 55
Appendix IV GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments 57

Tables

Table 1: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects in Design and Engineering as
of June 2007 40
Table 2: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects under Construction as of June
2007 44
Table 3: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects Completed as of June 2007 46
Table 4: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects Terminated as of June 2007 50

Figures

Figure 1: Louisiana Coastal Area Projected Land Changes between 2000-2050
9
Figure 2: The Maurepas Swamp Before a River Reintroduction Project 15
Figure 3: Crevasse in a Sediment Diversion Project 16
Figure 4: Gate in an Outfall Management Project 17
Figure 5: Marsh Creation Project Using Dredged Material 18
Figure 6: Rock Berm Built for Shoreline Protection 19
Figure 7: Water Control Structure to Restore Drainage Patterns and Water
Flow 20
Figure 8: Gates to Control Saltwater Levels 21
Figure 9: Barrier Islands 22
Figure 10: Native Marsh Plants 23
Figure 11: Terraces Built to Trap Sediment and Slow Water Flow 24
Figure 12: Constructing Terraces to Trap Sediment in Open Water 25
Figure 13: Nutria Overgraze on Native Wetland Plants 26
Figure 14: Organization of the CWPPRA Task Force 29

Abbreviations

CIAP Coastal Impact Assistance Program Corps
Army Corps of Engineers
CWPPRA Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FWS Fish and Wildlife Service
NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service
NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service
USGS United States Geological Survey

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United States Government Accountability Office
Washington, DC 20548

December 14, 2007

Congressional Addressees

Since the 1930s, coastal Louisiana has lost over 1.2 million acres of
wetlands or other coastal habitats and the U.S. Geological Survey
estimates that the region will continue to lose about 10,800 acres--almost
17 square miles--each year for the next 50 years to storms, sea level
rise, land subsidence (sinking), and the construction of levees and canals
that weaken the sustainability of the landscape. Flood control structures,
such as dams, have reduced the amount of suspended sediment in the
Mississippi River and levees have disconnected the river from the
floodplain, disrupting the natural process by which the river historically
deposited sediment in the delta to build and sustain coastal wetlands.
Coastal Louisiana is one of the most wetland-rich regions of the
world--home to about 2.5 million acres of fresh, brackish, and saltwater
marshes, accounting for about 40 percent of the coastal marshland in the
lower 48 states. Wetlands support a diverse mix of plants and wildlife,
filter rainwater runoff, and provide a natural buffer against the storm
surges that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes. For example, based
on observations of hurricanes striking the Louisiana coast, the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers estimated that storm surge was reduced about 1 foot for
every 2.75 miles of coastal wetlands that the surge had to cross. Coastal
wetland losses in Louisiana account for up to 90 percent of the total
coastal wetlands loss occurring in the lower 48 states today and expose
the state's coastal areas to the devastating effects of hurricane storm
surges. It is generally accepted that the deterioration of Louisiana's
coastal wetlands exacerbated the degree to which Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita and flooding from the associated storm surge affected New Orleans,
coastal Louisiana, and the greater Gulf Coast region. Since the 1930s,
coastal Louisiana has lost over 1.2 million acres of wetlands or other
coastal habitats and the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the region
will continue to lose about 10,800 acres--almost 17 square miles--each
year for the next 50 years to storms, sea level rise, land subsidence
(sinking), and the construction of levees and canals that weaken the
sustainability of the landscape. Flood control structures, such as dams,
have reduced the amount of suspended sediment in the Mississippi River and
levees have disconnected the river from the floodplain, disrupting the
natural process by which the river historically deposited sediment in the
delta to build and sustain coastal wetlands. Coastal Louisiana is one of
the most wetland-rich regions of the world--home to about 2.5 million
acres of fresh, brackish, and saltwater marshes, accounting for about 40
percent of the coastal marshland in the lower 48 states. Wetlands support
a diverse mix of plants and wildlife, filter rainwater runoff, and provide
a natural buffer against the storm surges that accompany tropical storms
and hurricanes. For example, based on observations of hurricanes striking
the Louisiana coast, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that storm
surge was reduced about 1 foot for every 2.75 miles of coastal wetlands
that the surge had to cross. Coastal wetland losses in Louisiana account
for up to 90 percent of the total coastal wetlands loss occurring in the
lower 48 states today and expose the state's coastal areas to the
devastating effects of hurricane storm surges. It is generally accepted
that the deterioration of Louisiana's coastal wetlands exacerbated the
degree to which Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and flooding from the
associated storm surge affected New Orleans, coastal Louisiana, and the
greater Gulf Coast region.

In 1990, the Congress passed the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and
Restoration Act (CWPPRA),^11 the first federal program specifically
directed toward authorizing funding for the restoration of Louisiana's
coastal wetlands. CWPPRA created the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands In 1990,
the Congress passed the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and
Restoration Act (CWPPRA), the first federal program specifically directed
toward authorizing funding for the restoration of Louisiana's coastal
wetlands. CWPPRA created the Louisiana Coastal Wetlands

^1Pub. L. No. 101-646, Title III. The Coastal Wetlands Planning,
Protection and Restoration Act is also referred to as the Breaux Act after
Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, one of the act's authors.

Conservation and Restoration Task Force, which includes five federal
agencies and the state of Louisiana. The CWPPRA task force makes decisions
on coastal restoration projects, including project funding, planning, and
the transition of projects from initiation through design and engineering,
construction, operations, maintenance, and monitoring. The CWPPRA task
force assigns individual projects to member agencies--called federal
sponsors--to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain, and monitor the
projects. As chair of the CWPPRA task force, the Corps manages project
funds and maintains records and data on projects. The other task force
members are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Louisiana
Governor's Office of Coastal Activities. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
also participates in the CWPPRA program, although it is not a member of
the task force.

CWPPRA projects are designed to protect and/or restore coastal wetlands
and reduce land loss. Projects to protect coastal wetlands include
constructing shoreline barriers with rocks, sheet piling, or other
engineering materials to reduce the effects of wave energy and removing
destructive invasive wildlife species such as nutria, a rodent that
damages marsh vegetation. Protection is critical to preventing or slowing
the rate of wetlands loss caused by erosion, saltwater intrusion,
subsidence, and other factors. Projects to restore coastal wetlands
include planting marsh vegetation to promote the return of wildlife,
placing dredged sediment in deteriorating marshes to encourage plant
growth, blocking or backfilling dredged canals that change natural water
flows and contribute to erosion and allow saltwater intrusion, cutting
gaps in levees to reestablish natural drainage patterns, and diverting
freshwater and sediment to declining swamps and marshes. Individual CWPPRA
projects are designed to protect and restore between 10 and 10,000 acres,
require an average 5 years to transition from approval to construction,
and are funded to operate for 20 years.

While the CWPPRA program has received almost $800 million over the last 17
years to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain, and monitor projects,
based on their preliminary estimates, Louisiana state officials told us
that they expect to receive more than 10 times this funding--about $8.5
billion--for restoring and protecting the state's coast over the next 20
years from new federal programs. Specifically, they estimate that
Louisiana will receive up to $523 million over 4 years beginning in 2008
through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP), which was created by
Section 384 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.^2 CIAP is intended to help
certain coastal states and their political subdivisions (parishes and
counties) mitigate the effects of oil and gas production by allocating a
portion of qualified outer continental shelf oil and natural gas revenues
to them. Among other things, these funds may be used for projects and
activities to conserve, protect, or restore coastal areas, including
projects designed and engineered under CWPPRA. In addition, based on their
review of the provisions contained in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security
Act of 2006,^3 Louisiana state officials told us they expect to receive up
to $6.2 billion over at least 20 years from certain outer continental
shelf oil and gas production revenue; specifically, $200 million in the
first 10 years and between $400 and $600 million per year thereafter to
fund efforts such as the restoration of coastal wetlands. Finally, the
Water Resources Development Act of 2007^4 contains provisions for over $1
billion for coastal restoration in Louisiana.

In anticipation of this potential surge in additional funding for the
restoration and protection of the Louisiana coast, both Louisiana and the
Corps, with input from other CWPPRA federal agencies, have prepared or are
developing specific coastal restoration plans for the state. In June 2007,
Louisiana approved a master plan for the restoration and protection of
coastal Louisiana that officials estimate will cost more than $50 billion
to implement and take up to three decades to complete. In response to the
Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2006,^5 the Corps is
also conducting a study and plans to issue a preliminary report by
December 2007 that will recommend a comprehensive approach to flood,
coastal, and hurricane protection for Louisiana. In coastal Louisiana,
flood control generally includes interior drainage systems, such as pumps
and canals, to reduce rain-induced flooding while hurricane protection
includes levees and other structures to reduce the risk of flooding from
storm surges. Corps officials told us they plan to submit a final report
to the Congress in the fall of 2008.

^2Pub. L. No. 109-58.

^3Pub. L. No. 109-432, Division C, Title I.

^4Pub. L. No. 110-114.

^5Pub. L. No. 109-103.

In light of the importance of coastal wetlands to help protect against
future Katrina-level devastation and the significant efforts under way or
proposed to restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands, we undertook this study
under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his
own initiative as part of our continued effort to assist the Congress.
Specifically, we identified the (1) types of CWPPRA projects that have
been designed and/or constructed to restore and protect Louisiana's
coastal wetlands, including their expected benefits and estimated costs,
and (2) lessons learned from past and ongoing restoration efforts that can
help guide future plans to restore and protect these coastal wetlands.

To identify the types of projects that have been designed and/or
constructed to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal wetlands, we
reviewed documentation on every CWPPRA project in design, under
construction, completed, or terminated, including project plans and
designs, project manager's technical fact sheets, and monitoring plans and
reports. We interviewed officials at the headquarters offices of the Corps
(within the Department of Defense), EPA, FWS (an agency within the
Department of the Interior), NMFS (an agency within the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration), NRCS (an agency within the Department of
Agriculture), and USGS (an agency within the Department of the Interior),
and interviewed officials working in Louisiana for each of these agencies.
We also interviewed officials from the Louisiana Department of Natural
Resources. We observed the work performed on three CWPPRA projects and two
other restoration projects constructed by the Corps. To identify the
lessons learned from past restoration efforts that can help guide future
plans to restore and protect coastal wetlands, we reviewed program funding
reports, minutes of task force and technical committee meetings, and
Louisiana annual project reviews. We interviewed federal agency project
managers and members of CWPPRA task force committees and work groups in
Louisiana, as well as officials from USGS and the Louisiana Department of
Natural Resources on the process to protect and restore coastal wetlands
under CWPPRA. We also reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations and,
where appropriate, state laws and cases. In conducting our work, we
concentrated our efforts on the CWPPRA program because of the exceedingly
high rate of wetlands loss in Louisiana and because the program is the
first federal program specifically directed toward authorizing funding to
restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands. We conducted our work between
October 2006 and October 2007 in accordance with generally accepted
government auditing standards.

Results in Brief

Over the last 17 years under CWPPRA, federal agencies and Louisiana have
designed and/or constructed a range of 147 projects to restore and protect
over 120,000 acres of coastal wetlands, which is equivalent to about 3
percent of the state's coastal area. As of June 2007, of these 147
projects, 74 were completely constructed, 16 were under construction, and
57 were being designed and engineered. These 147 projects fall into about
12 major categories ranging from large-scale efforts that reintroduce
freshwater and sediment across declining wetlands to smaller projects such
as shoreline barriers and vegetation plantings to protect and restore the
coastal landscape. The majority of projects were full-scale restoration
and protection efforts, while 22 were demonstration projects, initiated to
test new techniques and materials to restore or protect coastal wetlands.
Of the 74 projects constructed since 1990, more than half were one of two
types--shoreline protection (building barriers from material such as rock
or plants) and hydrologic restoration (restoring natural drainage
patterns). These two types of projects also accounted for over one-quarter
of the more than 120,000 wetland acreage protected and restored by the
CWPPRA program. The cost of CWPPRA projects can vary considerably; for
example, projects to plant marsh plants have averaged about $9,000 per
acre while projects to protect barrier islands have averaged almost
$54,000 per acre. As of June 2007, the total cost to complete all 147
projects was estimated at $1.78 billion, which includes initial funding
for operations and maintenance. However, most projects will require
continuous funding to maintain them over their expected life span of 20
years. Like naturally occurring wetlands, restored wetlands can experience
continuous erosion and subsidence, which over time generally diminishes
the amount of restored acreage. As a result, most of these projects are
designed with the expectation that they will provide wetland benefits for
a 20-year period, after which they may or may not be viable. Because the
CWPPRA program has not fully implemented a comprehensive monitoring
process, we were unable to determine the extent to which the completed
projects have been successful in creating and restoring coastal wetlands
in Louisiana.

Past and ongoing efforts to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal
wetlands offer important lessons that can help guide future restoration
plans and strategies. In particular, officials from Louisiana and the five
federal agencies that have collaborated on Louisiana's coastal wetland
projects through the CWPPRA task force told us they believe that the
CWPPRA program's unique interagency approach and process are the primary
reasons that the program has been able to design and construct a range of
projects on the Louisiana coast. Specifically, the CWPPRA process brings
together biologists, other scientists, civil engineers, and others, whose
broad range of experience and expertise helps ensure that the projects
they design and construct are technically feasible and will achieve their
environmental objectives. To improve collaboration, the CWPPRA task force
formed committees and technical work groups with members from federal
agencies and Louisiana to assist each phase of the restoration process.
Maintaining this collaborative interagency approach will be essential to
future success. Ultimate success, however, will also be dependent upon a
project managers' ability to address a number of issues that have surfaced
on past CWPPRA projects. Specifically,

           o Increasing project costs. Over the life of a project, costs can
           increase significantly causing unanticipated delays for individual
           projects, as well as the overall restoration program. For CWPPRA
           projects, costs have increased significantly over original
           estimates because of the increasing costs of fuel, labor, and
           building material. As a result, fewer projects are being designed
           and constructed. For example, as of October 2007, there were 10
           fully designed CWPPRA projects awaiting funding because the $190
           million estimated cost for construction exceeded the amount of
           annual program funds available for new construction. Further, the
           funds were needed to pay for the higher construction, operations,
           and maintenance costs of other projects.

           o Limited monitoring and assessment capabilities. Without an
           integrated monitoring and assessment process, it is difficult to
           determine whether restoration efforts are meeting their goals and
           objectives. Further, while Louisiana officials have monitored and
           prepared reports for projects constructed under the CWPPRA
           program, task force and USGS officials told us their reports have
           provided limited performance data on the success of these
           projects. Since 2003, USGS has been working with the CWPPRA task
           force to develop a coast-wide monitoring system. The system is
           expected to be fully implemented in 2008. However, until the
           system is fully implemented and able to provide sufficient data to
           support statistical and trend analysis, officials will not know
           whether projects are collectively restoring the coast or whether
           these efforts are having adverse unintended effects.

           o Private land ownership issues. During a project's planning and
           design phase, it is important to identify and attend to private
           land ownership issues which, if not addressed, could lead to
           costly design modifications or construction delays. Coastal
           Louisiana is about 85 percent privately owned by individuals and
           businesses. Agency officials have had to spend significant amounts
           of time locating individual landowners to obtain approval to
           construct CWPPRA projects. For example, agency officials told us
           they had to contact from 1 to 100 landowners to obtain approval to
           initiate one project. To construct projects on commercially owned
           lands, federal agencies have had to relocate or temporarily move
           infrastructure which has, in some instances, significantly
           increased CWPPRA project costs.

           o Uncertainty of project performance. Some projects simply fail to
           perform as designed for reasons largely beyond the designers'
           control, such as existing drainage patterns or other landscape
           features. Over the years, about 20 CWPPRA projects have had to be
           terminated due to, in some cases, technical difficulties and
           design problems that the designers could not resolve. For example,
           officials terminated a terracing project after concluding that it
           would not be technically feasible to construct terraces on the
           land due to poor sediment quality.

           o Setbacks as a result of storm damage. Storms and hurricanes can
           cause significant damage to coastal areas, including both
           naturally occurring and restored wetlands. Although most CWPPRA
           projects did not sustain significant damage from Hurricanes
           Katrina and Rita, other Louisiana coastal restoration projects
           were significantly impacted by the storms. Specifically, Hurricane
           Katrina destroyed more than 25,000 acres of wetlands in the
           Caernarvon Project area, a large Corps' project constructed in
           1991 that diverts water from the Mississippi River to restore
           nearby wetlands.

           As federal and state planners move forward with much larger scale
           efforts to protect and restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands, we
           believe that it will be critical for them to carefully consider
           the lessons learned, both the keys to success and the challenges,
           from the experiences of CWPPRA projects. As the CWPPRA experience
           demonstrates, while not all of the uncertainties surrounding
           wetlands protection and restoration projects can be predicted in
           advance, a well-developed project implementation strategy that
           includes mechanisms to address these kinds of uncertainties is
           essential for ensuring project success.

           We provided a copy of this report to the Departments of Commerce,
           Defense, Interior, EPA, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for
           review and comment. In commenting on a draft of this report, EPA
           provided comments indicating agreement with our findings and
           observations. The Department of Commerce, commenting for the
           National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, generally agreed
           that our report was accurate and thorough but disagreed with our
           characterization of CWPPRA monitoring. Specifically, the agency
           stated that while long term data acquisition will be required
           before officials are able to develop scientific conclusions on
           integrated project effectiveness, it emphasized that individual
           project monitoring currently taking place offers critical insights
           into project performance. While we believe that our description of
           CWPPRA monitoring efforts was accurate, we have revised the report
           to clarify some of the issues included in the agency's comments.
           Both the Department of Commerce and Department of Defense also
           provided technical comments, which we have incorporated throughout
           the report as appropriate. The Department of the Interior and the
           U.S. Department of Agriculture did not provide comments on this
           report.
			  
			  Background

           Coastal Louisiana's 2.5 million acres of fresh, brackish, and
           saltwater marshes support a diverse mix of plants and wildlife,
           filter rainwater runoff, and help protect the region from damaging
           storm surges from the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana's coastal
           landscape provides a habitat for millions of migratory birds and
           17 threatened or endangered species and supports the largest
           shrimp, oyster, and blue crab production in the United States. Its
           coastal wetlands also protect coastal regions and critical
           infrastructure, such as oil and gas platforms and pipelines, from
           the storm surges that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes.

           The Louisiana coast has lost over 1 million acres of wetlands
           since the 1930s and that loss is expected to continue. In 2004,
           USGS projected that, between 2000 and 2050, more than 430,000
           acres, or about 13 square miles per year, would be lost if no
           further protection and restoration measures are implemented. If
           current plans to protect and restore the wetlands were
           implemented,^6 USGS estimated wetlands losses would slow to
           329,000 acres, or just over 10 square miles per year, by 2050.
           (See fig. 1.)
			  
^6The USGS estimate of current plans to protect and restore the wetlands
includes all CWPPRA projects, two Corps' freshwater diversion projects,
and two Corps' delta building projects constructed, or funded for
construction, as of October 2002.

Figure 1: Louisiana Coastal Area Projected Land Changes between 2000-2050

Since the 2005 hurricanes, estimated land loss rates are being revised, in
part, to reflect the immediate land loss caused by the storms and
estimated rates of recovery. According to a USGS official, up to 16.9
square miles of coastal wetlands may be lost each year over the next 50
years, assuming no future protection and restoration measures are
implemented.

In addition to the storms, sea level rise, and land subsidence (sinking)
that have contributed to and continue to cause coastal wetlands loss, the
construction of levees and canals, such as the hundreds of miles of
Mississippi River levees constructed to control flooding, also weaken the
sustainability of the landscape and contribute to coastal wetlands loss.
Flood control structures such as dams on Mississippi River tributaries and
levees on the lower Mississippi River have disrupted the natural processes
by which the river deposited sediment in the delta to build and sustain
coastal wetlands. Specifically, dams and levees reduce the amount of
suspended sediment in the river, which reduces the amount of sediment
reaching the Mississippi River delta--the area of land built up by
sediment deposited by the river as it slows down and enters the [17]Gulf
of Mexico . Currently the Mississippi River delivers an estimated 141
million tons of sediment to the Gulf each year--less than one-third the
amount of sediment the river carried prior to the 1950s and including but
not limited to, the hundreds of miles of levees along the Mississippi
River and its tributaries constructed to reduce flood damage, also impact
the sustainability of the landscape and contribute to coastal wetlands
loss. Much of the sediment that reaches the Gulf is carried away from the
land and deposited over the continental shelf where it is lost to the
ocean and cannot be recovered.

Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act

CWPPRA was originally enacted in November 1990, and it authorized funding
through 1999.^7 The Congress subsequently extended the program's funding
authority through 2009 and later through 2019 providing about 30 years of
funding for the program. Federal funding for the CWPPRA program currently
comes from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund (Trust Fund),
which is administered by the Department of the Interior and funded by
taxes on the sale of motor boat fuel, small engine fuel taxes, and sport
fishing equipment. Federal funding for the engineering, design,
construction, operation, maintenance, and monitoring of CWPPRA projects
has averaged approximately $50 million each year, ranging from about $28
million per year in the early 1990s to $71 million in 2007. Task force
officials told us they expect to receive an estimated $76 million in
federal funds in 2008 and annual increases each year up to an estimated
$108 million in federal funds by 2017, based on Department of the
Interior's estimates of increases to the Trust Fund, the source of federal
funding for the CWPPRA program. Total estimated funding for all program
planning and construction through 2019 is $2.44 billion in federal and
nonfederal funds.

Under CWPPRA, the federal government generally is required to fund 75
percent of project costs, with the state providing the remaining 25
percent. However, according to CWPPRA, Louisiana's share may be reduced if
the state develops a coastal wetlands conservation plan. In 1997, the
Corps, EPA, and FWS approved Louisiana's conservation plan so the states'
contribution was reduced from 25 percent to 15 percent. Further, in 1996,
the Water Resources Development Act authorized the task force to reduce
the states' contribution to 10 percent for projects approved in 1996 and
1997. At least one-third of Louisiana's share must be in the form of a
cash contribution; the balance may be in the form of providing lands,
easements, rights-of-way, or other in-kind contributions that the CWPPRA
agency sponsor determines to be appropriate, such as designing and
engineering projects. Under CWPPRA, no more than $5 million per year may
be used for task force planning purposes; the remainder must be used for
the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and monitoring of
projects.

^7Pub. L. No. 101-646, Title III, S 308.

Under the CWPPRA program, the annual process to nominate candidate
projects typically begins around January when federal CWPPRA agencies and
the state meet with local governments and individuals to propose
protection and restoration measures to address critical areas of need. In
February, the CWPPRA agencies meet with other stakeholders, such as state
and parish officials, to review proposals and select up to 20 projects for
potential development. From these, the task force's technical committee
selects 10 projects for potential engineering and design, designates a
lead federal agency to begin developing designs and cost estimates, and
evaluates the potential benefits of these projects. For each project,
agency officials provide an estimate of how many wetland acres will be
created, restored, and/or protected after 20 years based on the proposed
design and assumptions, such as anticipated changes in water flow or
salinity. After project designs and estimates are prepared, the various
CWPPRA work groups meet to review and evaluate proposed project plans,
preliminary cost estimates, and projected benefits, and to estimate
life-cycle costs for proposed projects. Based on this set of conceptual
project planning information, the task force selects a subset of candidate
projects, typically in October of each year, to begin engineering and
design. Around the following January, the task force approves funding for
certain projects that have completed engineering and design to begin
construction, operations, maintenance and monitoring. Project
implementation averages about 5 years from the time candidate projects are
selected through the completion of construction. Following construction,
Louisiana typically operates, maintains, and monitors the performance of
projects for up to 20 years.

CWPPRA requires that the task force also consider funding small-scale
projects that demonstrate the use of new techniques or materials for
coastal wetlands restoration. In 1993, the task force recommended that
funding for demonstration projects be limited to about $2 million per
year. In 2006, concerned that funding constraints would eliminate
demonstration projects, the task force recommended that it consider
funding at least one demonstration project per year as long as
demonstration projects do not exceed $2 million in total costs. The task
force also funds monitoring for demonstration projects.

As chair of the CWPPRA task force, the Corps is responsible for the
administration of federal program funds. Based on documentation submitted
by federal agencies, the Corps disburses funds from the Trust Fund, as
well as the states' share from an escrow account to pay for the planning,
design, construction, operations, maintenance, and monitoring of projects.
Louisiana and federal agencies also fund individual projects through cost
sharing agreements, cooperative agreements, or grants that outline
approved project cost estimates, federal and state cost shares, and how
the states' cost share payments will be made, such as through work-in-kind
or cash payments.

Additional Funding to Restore and Protect Louisiana Coastal Wetlands Will Become
Available over the Next 20 Years

Two new federal programs are expected to provide billions of dollars in
additional funding for the restoration and protection of coastal
Louisiana. Taken together, Louisiana expects to receive between $6.5
billion and $8.5 billion over at least 20 years from these new programs to
fund coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects. These new
programs are:

           o Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP). The Energy Policy Act
           of 2005 established CIAP, a revenue-sharing program to help
           coastal states and their parishes and counties mitigate the
           effects of oil and gas production.^8 Under this program, the
           Secretary of the Interior is required to disburse $250 million
           each year for 4 years (fiscal years 2007 through 2010) to certain
           coastal states based on an allocation formula specified in the
           law.^9 Funds for the program will come from qualified outer
           continental shelf oil and natural gas revenue. States must submit
           a plan to the Department of the Interior's Minerals Management
           Service by July 1, 2008, which must be approved in order for
           states to receive CIAP funds. States may use CIAP funds for
           projects and activities to conserve, protect, or restore coastal
           areas, and for certain other purposes. In February 2007, Louisiana
           state officials estimated they would receive up to $523 million
           over 4 years from CIAP. In June 2007, Louisiana submitted its plan
           to the Minerals Management Service and plans to fund the
           construction of six CWPPRA projects using the first year of CIAP
           funds. In July, Louisiana state officials told us they expected to
           receive the first funds beginning in 2008. On November 29, 2007,
           the Minerals Management Service approved Louisiana's plan.
			  
^8Pub. L. No. 109-58, S 384.

^943 U.S.C. S 1356a(b).

           o Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006. Under this law, four
           coastal, energy-producing states--Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi,
           and Texas--and their parishes and counties will share 37.5 percent
           of certain revenues from royalties from the production of oil and
           natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico.^10 They may use the funding for
           such efforts as coastal restoration and hurricane protection.
           Under this program, Louisiana expects to receive $200 million over
           the course of the first 10 years and between $400 and $600 million
           per year thereafter. Louisiana state officials told us the state
           expects to receive the first funds under this act in 2008 or 2009.

           In addition, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 included
           authorizations for hundreds of projects and studies, including
           about $1.6 billion for the Corps to construct coastal Louisiana
           restoration projects. At least one of the projects contained in
           the law was engineered and designed under the CWPPRA program.

           In response to the 2005 hurricanes, both the state of Louisiana
           and the Corps began developing coastal restoration plans for the
           state, which are expected to be paid for, in part, with this
           additional funding. The following are summaries of these two
           plans:

           o Louisiana's Plan. In June 2007, the Louisiana state legislature
           approved a comprehensive master plan, developed by a state agency,
           for ecosystem restoration and hurricane protection for the
           Louisiana coast. The plan is based on previous hurricane
           protection initiatives and established flood control and coastal
           restoration concepts. It outlines several planning objectives and
           makes a series of recommendations such as restoring the
           sustainability of the Mississippi River delta, immediately closing
           the Mississippi River gulf outlet, and it suggests strategies to
           provide greater hurricane protection to coastal Louisiana. The
           plan acknowledges challenges and trade-offs, such as the
           likelihood that not every coastal community will receive the same
           level of hurricane protection. It also acknowledges certain
           technical unknowns, such as how to balance the effects of
           protection projects, such as levees, with restoration projects,
           such as diversions and marsh restoration. Although final cost
           estimates have not been developed, Louisiana officials estimate
           that the plan will cost more than $50 billion over several
           decades. In April 2007, the state released its 2008 annual plan
           for the restoration and protection of coastal Louisiana that
           estimated it would cost $1.07 billion to implement the first 3
           years (2008 through 2010) of the state's master plan.

^10Pub. L. No. 109-432, Division C, Title I.

           o The Corps' Plan. The Energy and Water Development Appropriations
           Act of 2006 required the Corps to conduct a study and recommend a
           comprehensive approach to flood, coastal, and hurricane protection
           for Louisiana. To prepare its report, the Corps is conducting a
           series of public meetings to discuss alternative proposals to
           restore and protect areas of need. The Corps is also working with
           other federal agencies and Louisiana to identify cost,
           performance, and risks for each alternative proposal. In July
           2007, Corps officials told us they plan to submit a preliminary
           report to the Congress by December 2007 and a final report in the
           fall of 2008.
			  
			  Various Projects Have Been Designed and Constructed to Restore and
			  Protect Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands

           Over the last 17 years under CWPPRA, federal agencies and
           Louisiana as of June 2007 have designed and/or constructed 147
           projects to restore and protect more than 120,000 acres of coastal
           wetlands--about 3 percent of the Louisiana coast. The total cost
           of these projects is estimated to be about $1.78 billion. Although
           costs vary significantly between project types, many projects are
           generally expected to erode and subside over time, as a result of
           naturally occurring hydrologic and geologic processes.

           The various types of CWPPRA projects that have been designed
           and/or constructed to protect and/or restore coastal wetlands
           include the following:

           Freshwater reintroduction. Freshwater reintroduction projects move
           water through a gate, siphon, or pump to drain water from a body
           of water, such as the Mississippi River, to a nearby area of
           declining wetlands or marsh. The water carries some sediment and
           nutrients and helps slow saltwater intrusion, which in turn slows
           the loss of marsh and creates a small amount of new marsh. For
           example, the River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp project
           sponsored by EPA is designed to restore and protect a deteriorated
           swampland by reintroducing Mississippi River water, along with
           sediment and nutrients, into the nearby Maurepas Swamp (see fig.
           2) and protect 5,438 acres of wetlands. EPA has been developing
           the project since August 2001, but construction is not expected to
           begin until June 2009. As of June 2007, federal agencies and
           Louisiana were designing and engineering eight projects to
           reintroduce freshwater to nearby wetlands or marsh.

           Figure 2: The Maurepas Swamp Before a River Reintroduction Project

           Sediment diversion. Sediment diversion projects redirect sediment
           to nearby wetlands to promote natural land-building processes. A
           gap, called a crevasse, (see fig. 3) is cut into a river levee,
           allowing river water, nutrients, and sediment to flow into a
           marshland. The uncontrolled diversion (where water is allowed to
           flow freely and is not controlled by a dam or lock) is designed to
           create new marsh in shallow water. For example, the Corps
           constructed the West Bay Sediment Diversion project in November
           2003 to restore wetlands in shallow open water by adding sediment
           that will restore 9,831 acres of marshlands. As of June 2007,
           federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and engineering
           seven projects and had completed five projects to divert sediment
           to nearby wetlands.

           Figure 3: Crevasse in a Sediment Diversion Project

           Outfall management. Outfall management projects work together with
           freshwater reintroduction or sediment diversion projects. They use
           a variety of techniques to control the flow of water and sediment
           through a combination of gates, locks, weirs, canal plugs, and
           gaps cut in artificial levee banks (see fig. 4). For example, the
           Caernarvon Diversion Outfall Management project completed by NRCS
           in June 2002 is designed to restore 802 acres of wetlands by
           promoting better sediment and nutrient flow from an existing Corps
           sediment diversion project along the Mississippi River. As of June
           2007, federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and
           engineering one project and had completed two projects to manage
           the flow of water and sediment.

           Figure 4: Gate in an Outfall Management Project

           Marsh creation. Marsh creation projects restore and protect
           marshlands using sediment material from river dredging projects or
           material dredged specifically to create a marsh. The dredged
           material is placed in open water and/or on declining wetlands to
           raise land levels so that marsh plants will become established to
           form new marsh (see fig. 5). For example, the Corps constructed
           the Bayou LaBranche Wetland Creation project in April 1994 by
           depositing 2.7 million cubic yards of sediment dredged from Lake
           Pontchartrain into open water areas to create 203 acres of new
           marsh. As of June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana were
           designing and engineering 12 projects, constructing 3 projects,
           and had completed 7 projects to create marshlands.

           Figure 5: Marsh Creation Project Using Dredged Material

           Shoreline protection. Shoreline protection projects are designed
           to slow or stop shoreline erosion. Some techniques, such as rock
           berms (see fig. 6), are built along eroding shorelines to reduce
           the effect of waves on the shore. Other techniques, such as
           breakwaters and intertidal dikes, are built in open water to slow
           waves before they reach the shoreline. For example, NRCS
           constructed the Boston Canal/Vermilion Bay Bank Protection project
           in November 1995 by creating 1,400 feet of rock dikes and 1,000
           feet of fence to protect and trap sediment for land building. As
           of June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and
           engineering 13 projects, constructing 3 projects, and had
           completed 23 projects to protect shorelines from erosion.

           Figure 6: Rock Berm Built for Shoreline Protection

           Hydrologic restoration. Hydrologic restoration projects are
           designed to restore natural drainage patterns and water flow.
           Gates, locks, or sheet pile dams (see fig. 7) are constructed
           along rivers and other major waterways to change water flow. For
           example, FWS designed the East Sabine Lake Hydrologic Restoration
           project that will use various structures, such as a culvert and
           terraces, to restore and protect 225 acres of marshes by
           controlling saltwater entering the project area from nearby
           waterways. Project design began in January 2001 and construction
           is expected to be completed by July 2008. As of June 2007, federal
           agencies and Louisiana were designing and engineering 6 projects,
           constructing 3 projects, and had completed 18 projects to restore
           hydrologic patterns and flows.

           Figure 7: Water Control Structure to Restore Drainage Patterns and
           Water Flow

           Marsh management. Marsh management projects are designed to
           provide a healthy ecosystem for waterfowl and animals. For
           example, projects to control and maintain fresh and saltwater
           levels promote the growth of native vegetation and help restore
           wildlife habitat. NRCS' East Mud Lake Marsh Management project,
           constructed in June 1996, uses gates to control and maintain
           saltwater levels to manage over 8,000 acres of open water and salt
           marsh and to restore 1,520 acres of marshland (see fig. 8). As of
           June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana had completed one
           project to manage marshlands.

           Figure 8: Gates to Control Saltwater Levels

           Barrier island restoration. Barrier island restoration projects
           are designed to protect and restore Louisiana's barrier
           islands--small island chains separated from the mainland by open
           water that provide the first line of defense from hurricanes and
           storm surge (see fig. 9). These projects include adding dredged
           material to expand barrier islands' height and width, building
           structures to protect barrier islands from erosion, and erecting
           sand-trapping fences and planting native vegetation to strengthen
           sand dunes on barrier island beaches. For example, the Barataria
           Barrier Island: Pelican Island and Pass La Mer to Chaland Pass
           project sponsored by NMFS is designed to construct 484 acres of
           sand dunes and marshes and plant them with native plants. The
           project began in 2002 and construction completed on the Pass La
           Mer to Chaland Pass portion of the project in December 2006. As of
           June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and
           engineering five projects, constructing four projects, and had
           completed five projects to restore barrier islands.

           Figure 9: Barrier Islands

           Vegetation planting. Vegetation planting projects use native marsh
           plants (see fig. 10) to reduce erosion, hold soil firmly in place,
           and expand/improve wildlife habitats. For example, NMFS
           constructed the Chandeleur Islands Marsh Restoration project in
           July 2001 after the storm surge resulting from Hurricane Georges
           in 1998 reduced the Chandeleur Islands by 40 percent. The project
           is designed to restore 220 acres of barrier islands using native
           plants to help trap sediment. As of June 2007, federal agencies
           and Louisiana were designing and engineering one project and had
           completed five projects to plant vegetation.

           Figure 10: Native Marsh Plants

           Terracing. Terracing projects involve building low ridges in open
           water, usually in patterns, to slow water flow and trap sediment
           for marsh creation (see fig. 11). For example, NMFS' Little
           Vermilion Bay Sediment Trapping project constructed in August 1999
           has 23 terraces about 3 and  1/2 feet above sea level in an area
           covering almost 1,000 acres of mostly open water to capture
           sediment previously lost to high winds and waves and to restore
           441 acres of wetlands. The project is also expected to improve
           wildlife habitat and allow access for recreational fishing. As of
           June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and
           engineering one project and had completed three projects to
           construct terraces for marsh creation.

           Figure 11: Terraces Built to Trap Sediment and Slow Water Flow

           Sediment and nutrient trapping. Sediment and nutrient trapping
           projects use brush fences or low land ridges (also called terraces
           as discussed above) to slow water flow and promote the buildup of
           sediment in shallow water to restore wetlands (see fig. 12). For
           example, NMFS completed the Four Mile Canal Terracing and Sediment
           Trapping project in May 2004 using material dredged from nearby
           waterways to create over 68,000 feet of terraces in open shallow
           water. NMFS also planted native grass on top of the terraces to
           help secure the dredged soil and reduce erosion. As of June 2007,
           federal agencies and Louisiana were designing and engineering one
           project and had completed three projects to trap sediment and
           nutrients.

           Figure 12: Constructing Terraces to Trap Sediment in Open Water

           Invasive species control programs. Invasive species control
           programs pay licensed trappers or hunters to harvest non-native
           animals, such as nutria (see fig. 13), brought to the United
           States from South America during the 1930s for the fur trade.
           Nutria damage marshlands by overgrazing on wetland plants. NRCS
           introduced the Coastwide Nutria Control Program in November 2002
           that paid licensed trappers $4 for each nutria tail delivered to a
           collection center. In 2005, almost 300,000 nutria were caught and
           killed under this program. As of June 2007, federal agencies and
           Louisiana were conducting one project and had completed another
           project to manage programs for the control of invasive species.

           Figure 13: Nutria Overgraze on Native Wetland Plants

           In addition to these projects, four projects are not
           construction-type projects but are plans or small funds under
           CWPPRA to support coastal restoration efforts. These four projects
           are the Storm Recovery Assessment Fund, the Monitoring Contingency
           Fund, the State of Louisiana Wetlands Conservation Plan, and the
           Coastwide Reference Monitoring System for Wetlands.
			  
			  Estimated Cost for CWPPRA Projects That Restore and Protect about
			  120,000 Acres of Coastal Wetlands Is $1.78 Billion

           As of June 2007, federal agencies and Louisiana have designed
           and/or constructed 147 projects under CWPPRA to protect and
           restore 121,109 acres of coastal wetlands at an estimated cost of
           $1.78 billion. Between fiscal years 1992 and 2007, the CWPPRA
           program has received approximately $794 million, $714 million of
           which has been provided for the construction of projects, and $80
           million of which has been provided for other program activities
           such as planning. As of June 2007, $356 million had been spent and
           $616 million had been obligated.

           Of the 147 projects designed and/or constructed, 74 were
           completely constructed, 16 were under construction, and 57 were
           being designed and engineered. (See app. I for detailed
           information on each of the 147 CWPPRA projects.) Shoreline
           protection projects (building barriers from rock or plants) and
           hydrologic restoration projects (returning areas to their natural
           drainage patterns) made up more than half of the 90 projects that
           were completed or under construction and accounted for more than
           one-quarter of the wetland acreage protected and restored under
           CWPPRA. Shoreline protection and marsh creation projects accounted
           for about half of the 57 projects still being designed and
           engineered, or about one-fifth of the acreage planned for
           restoration.

           Of the 147 projects, 22 were demonstration projects, initiated to
           test new techniques or materials to restore or protect coastal
           wetlands, and more than half of these were to test new designs for
           shoreline protection or marsh creation. For example, in 1997, NRCS
           constructed eight breakwaters next to a barrier island to
           demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of using multiple
           breakwaters to reduce shoreline erosion on barrier islands and
           assess their potential for use in future barrier island
           restoration projects. NRCS officials concluded that the eight
           breakwaters have reduced shoreline erosion and increased land
           coverage over the effected area.

           In addition to the projects designed and constructed since 1990,
           the CWPPRA task force has terminated 20 projects for various
           reasons but most often due to problems associated with land
           rights, technical difficulties, and project cost-effectiveness.
           (See app. I for detailed information about the 20 terminated
           projects.) For example, an EPA project to create a marsh using
           dredged sediment was terminated in 2005 because of problems with
           land rights and technical difficulties building the marshland and
           finding the sediment. Similarly, a NMFS project to restore a
           marshland was terminated in 1998 when officials determined the
           project area was so degraded that the project design was not
           cost-effective. Most project terminations took place in the first
           10 years of the CWPPRA program, whereas just 3 projects have been
           terminated in the past 5 years. As of June 2007, however, 17
           projects were delayed due to problems such as land rights, oyster
           leases, and uncertain benefits of the project design, and CWPPRA
           officials told us that some of these projects may also be
           terminated if these issues cannot be resolved.
			  
           Project Costs Vary Significantly, and Most Restored Wetlands Are
			  Generally Expected to Erode over Time

           The cost of CWPPRA projects varies considerably by project type,
           and most projects require a continuous source of funding to
           maintain them and ensure that they will deliver benefits over
           their expected lifetime. Projects to plant marsh plants have
           averaged about $9,000 per acre, while projects to restore barrier
           islands have averaged more than $54,000 per acre. Some projects,
           such as freshwater reintroduction projects, have averaged $11,400
           per acre because they covered a larger area and only required the
           construction of structures, such as culverts and gates. In
           contrast, officials said freshwater reintroduction projects are
           relatively less expensive to operate and cost little to maintain
           because they are generally self-sustaining.

           Most CWPPRA projects are generally designed to be maintained in a
           manner that will protect wetlands and reduce land loss for a
           20-year period. Maintenance activities may include replacing rock
           on a shoreline protection project and repairing routine damage to
           structures, such as a small dam, on a hydrologic restoration
           project. As of September 2007, the CWPPRA task force plans to
           spend an estimated $265 million on operations and maintenance over
           the life of projects currently in design, under construction, and
           completed. Despite these maintenance efforts, restored and
           protected acreage is also subject to the effects of rising seas,
           subsidence, and erosion that are experienced by naturally
           occurring wetlands. As a result, most restored and protected
           wetlands also are generally expected to lose acreage over time,
           particularly areas that experience high waves from the Gulf, such
           as restored barrier islands. In some cases, these natural effects
           preclude the feasibility of certain maintenance. For example,
           federal agencies may add vegetation or replace sand fences to
           maintain barrier island restoration projects, but they do not add
           dredged material to repair erosion. According to agency officials,
           the high cost of replenishing dredged material on these projects,
           and the high rate of erosion caused by waves from the Gulf of
           Mexico, make this kind of maintenance impractical. While barrier
           islands are expected to continue to erode, agency officials told
           us that protecting these islands provides a certain level of
           protection to developed areas and marshes behind the islands, even
           if only for the short term.
			  
			  Accomplishments and Challenges to Restoring Louisiana's Coastal
			  Wetlands Provide Lessons Learned for Future Restoration Efforts

           Past efforts to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal wetlands
           offer important lessons that can help guide future restoration
           plans and strategies. In particular, agency officials attributed
           the CWPPRA program's progress in restoring and protecting wetlands
           primarily to the effective interagency collaboration that exists
           among the participating agencies. However, the CWPPRA program has
           also faced several challenges such as increasing project costs,
           limited capability to monitor project effectiveness, and the need
           to acquire private landowner rights, which are likely to be issues
           that will extend to the larger and more complex restoration
           efforts currently being planned.
			  
			  Agency Officials Consider an Interagency Structure and Collaborative
			  Process a Key to Restoring Coastal Wetlands

           Officials from Louisiana and the five CWPPRA agencies that have
           collaborated on Louisiana's coastal wetlands projects generally
           told us they believe that the CWPPRA program's unique interagency
           approach and processes have been critical to designing and
           constructing a range of projects in the region. To improve
           collaboration, the CWPPRA task force formed committees and
           technical work groups with members from the federal agencies and
           Louisiana to assist in each phase of restoration development and
           implementation. (See fig. 14 for the organization of the CWPPRA
           task force.) The multiagency task force, along with its committees
           and work groups, brings together biologists, other scientists,
           civil engineers, economists, and other technical experts to
           provide the collective experience and expertise needed to review
           project cost estimates, designs, schedules, and work plans.

           Figure 14: Organization of the CWPPRA Task Force

           Through semiannual budgetary task force meetings, the members
           review and approve projects to begin design or construction.
           Officials told us that this review process has been critical to
           designing and constructing projects that are cost-effective,
           environmentally sound, and technically feasible. For example,
           during a project's design phase, agency officials present project
           design proposals to the environmental and engineering work groups
           for review and comment on the feasibility of the design, the
           validity of the assumptions, and strategies for success. The task
           force also requires reviews at various points during a project's
           development, particularly during the early stages of project
           design and again when design is nearing completion. During these
           reviews, federal agency and Louisiana officials meet to review and
           discuss project designs, cost estimates, and restoration benefits.
           Some CWPPRA officials told us that these project design reviews
           are key to resolving potential problems and identifying project
           cost growth as early as possible.

           In November, the Congress passed the Water Resources Development
           Act of 2007 which includes authorizations for various Corps
           projects and studies for the restoration of coastal Louisiana.
           This act also established a task force comprised of
           representatives from nine federal agencies and Louisiana to make
           recommendations to the Secretary of the Army on plans and programs
           for the protection and restoration of the Louisiana coast. The act
           authorizes the task force to establish working groups--similar to
           those used by the CWPRRA task force--to integrate the planning,
           design, and implementation of various Corps projects for flood
           control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection and provide
           a broad range of expertise and representation from Louisiana and
           local governments.
			  
			  Restoration Efforts Face Various Planning and Implementation Challenges

           In designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and monitoring
           projects, the CWPPRA program continues to face challenges,
           including increasing project costs, limited capability to assess
           project effectiveness, the need to address private landowner
           rights, uncertain project performance, and damage from hurricanes
           and storms. As larger and more complex restoration efforts are
           planned for the future, we believe that they too are likely to
           face similar challenges and will, therefore, need to consider how
           to resolve these issues as part of their project development and
           implementation processes.

           Increasing project costs. The costs of constructing and
           maintaining many CWPPRA projects have increased beyond their
           original estimates and, as a result, fewer projects are being
           designed and constructed. According to CWPPRA agency officials,
           costs for construction, operations, and maintenance have increased
           25 to 50 percent above estimates since the 2005 hurricanes. Fuel
           cost increases, for example, have increased the cost to provide
           building materials, such as rock and sand, especially when such
           material is not available locally in sufficient quantities. NRCS
           officials told us there are not any rock quarries in Louisiana so
           that rock must be purchased and transported from out of state.
           Similarly, federal agency officials told us that sand suitable for
           constructing projects is not available locally in sufficient
           quantities and must be dredged and transported to project sites.
           In one instance, EPA initiated a project to demonstrate the
           feasibility of dredging sand deposits 8 miles from shore in the
           Gulf of Mexico to provide the material needed to restore a barrier
           island. Officials also told us that the cost of building
           materials, such as rock which is often used to construct shoreline
           protection projects, has increased since the 2005 hurricanes.
           Finally, costs to construct, operate, and maintain projects have
           also increased due to increasing labor costs. For example, NRCS
           officials told us that the need for specialized contract labor,
           such as contractors with the capability to work in water, has
           increased project costs.

           These unexpected cost increases have impacted the overall
           implementation of CWPPRA projects in a variety of ways. First, it
           has delayed project construction for new CWPPRA projects. As of
           October 2007, there were 10 fully designed CWPPRA projects
           awaiting almost $190 million in funds to begin construction. Funds
           to construct these projects were not available because their
           estimated costs exceeded the annual amount of program funds
           available for new construction, and funds were needed to pay
           higher costs for construction, operations, and maintenance of
           other projects. Second, because of the potential for funding
           shortfalls, the task force has been approving fewer projects to
           begin design and engineering. Since 1990, the task force has
           approved an average of about 12 projects per year to begin design
           and engineering. Since October 2002, however, the task force has
           approved 5 or fewer projects per year to begin design and
           engineering. Finally, cost increases for ongoing projects have
           limited the number of demonstration projects that the CWPPRA
           program has been able to undertake. The task force did not approve
           any demonstration projects in 2004 and 2005 even though the
           authorizing legislation considered this an important aspect of the
           program. In 2006, the task force approved 1 demonstration project
           after it decided to consider funding 1 per year, as long as the
           demonstration project did not exceed $2 million in total costs.

           Limited monitoring and assessment capabilities. Although CWPPRA
           requires the task force to evaluate the effectiveness of each
           project following construction, it lacks a coast-wide monitoring
           program to assess the overall effectiveness of these projects to
           restore coastal wetlands. Further, according to the CWPPRA task
           force, it has been unable to fully assess individual project
           performance due to the limited availability and/or usefulness of
           monitoring data. According to Louisiana and USGS officials, as of
           October 2007, Louisiana, USGS, and the CWPPRA federal agencies
           have developed 85 project monitoring plans. Louisiana and USGS
           have monitored all constructed projects, and Louisiana has
           prepared many monitoring reports that are available on its Web
           site. For example, to monitor an FWS hydrologic restoration
           project, Louisiana officials measured the ratio of open water to
           land, salinity, and vegetation composition and reported these
           measurements compared with preconstruction levels. CWPPRA agency
           officials told us that they have used monitoring data and reports
           to assess project performance and adjust project designs, as
           needed. However, according to the task force and a USGS official,
           most monitoring reports have provided incomplete and inconsistent
           data so that officials have not been able to perform the kinds of
           statistical analysis needed to fully evaluate project
           effectiveness.

           In 1998, a study of coastal restoration prepared by Louisiana
           concluded that there was a need for coast-wide monitoring to
           assess the overall effectiveness of coastal restoration and
           protection projects. Since 2003, USGS and Louisiana have been
           working with the CWPPRA task force to develop such a coast-wide
           system. This system is expected to collect data on changes in
           levels of salinity, water levels, and vegetation and sedimentation
           in marshlands, as well as monitor the cumulative and wide-ranging
           effects of multiple CWPPRA projects and help project managers
           design more effective and better integrated restoration projects.
           The planned system includes 390 randomly located monitoring
           stations installed across 3.67 million acres of coastal Louisiana
           and all stations are expected to be fully operational by the
           spring of 2008. As of October 2007, 256 of 390 monitoring stations
           were installed and collecting data. According to officials, the
           process to implement the system has taken longer than expected due
           to the time required to design and implement a coast-wide system,
           survey lands and obtain land rights agreements, and fund the
           construction of hundreds of monitoring platforms due to rising
           construction costs. Until a coast-wide monitoring system is fully
           operational and providing reliable data, federal agencies and the
           task force will not be able to evaluate whether coastal
           restoration projects are collectively restoring the Louisiana
           coast and if these efforts are having adverse unintended effects.
           Further, even when all monitoring stations are collecting data,
           CWPPRA and USGS officials estimated the system will not provide
           multiyear data needed to assess certain restoration trends, such
           as sediment elevation tables, for another 5 to 10 years.

           Private land ownership issues. Because coastal Louisiana is about
           85 percent privately owned, state agency officials, in some cases,
           have spent a significant amount of time locating landowners to
           obtain approval to construct CWPPRA projects. For example,
           according to NMFS officials, one marsh creation and terracing
           project area had about 1,500 individual landowners, and it was a
           challenge to locate all of the landowners and obtain permission to
           construct the project on their land. More often, NMFS and other
           CWPPRA agency officials told us that they have had to contact from
           1 to 100 landowners to obtain approval to begin a project.
           According to various federal agency officials, obtaining access
           from landowners has significantly delayed the design process for
           some projects, sometimes to such an extent that they became
           concerned that the project might not be feasible because of
           difficulties locating landowners and obtaining land rights
           agreements. Most federal agency officials also told us that
           landrights issues are eventually resolved, however, and projects
           are designed and engineered.

           Implementing a project on commercially owned lands can also
           present problems, particularly because in Louisiana they often
           have infrastructure such as oil and gas pipelines, canals, and
           rail lines constructed on them. To restore coastal wetlands on
           commercially owned lands, federal agencies or commercial
           landowners have relocated or temporarily moved infrastructure to
           construct projects. In some instances where federal agencies have
           moved commercial infrastructure, moving costs significantly
           increased the cost of the CWPPRA project. For example, when Corps
           officials realized a sediment diversion project could not be
           constructed without disrupting nearby infrastructure, they
           proposed relocating two pipelines and two power poles, which would
           have increased project costs by more than $2.15 million. Largely
           in response to these cost increases, the Corps eventually decided
           to terminate the project. On another sediment diversion project,
           Corps officials told us that they relocated a pipeline so that it
           would not be in open water. However, in this case, the pipeline
           owner reimbursed the Corps for relocating the pipeline, and
           construction of the project was able to proceed and be completed
           in 2003.

           In Louisiana, commercial fishermen may also lease publicly owned
           lands, known as water bottoms and, based on lessons learned from
           recent court decisions and legislative activity, Louisiana
           officials told us it is important to notify project sponsors as
           early as possible about leases of public lands so that project
           designs can take these into account. In 2000, a Louisiana state
           court ruled that the Caernarvon diversion project--a project that
           diverts freshwater from the Mississippi River to restore
           freshwater wetlands--had altered the salinity levels and damaged
           or destroyed oyster beds in state-owned waters that had been
           leased to commercial fishermen and were near the project. A jury
           awarded over $1 billion to the oyster leaseholders in a ruling
           against the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.^11 In 2004,
           the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the lower
           courts, concluding that the state was not liable for changes in
           water salinity due to restoration projects, and the oyster
           fishermen's claim was dismissed.^12 However, in 2006, the
           Louisiana state legislature passed a new law clarifying that
           oyster leaseholders generally may not sue the state or the federal
           government for claims arising from projects, plans, acts, or
           activities related to coastal protection, conservation, or
           restoration. The new law also established an acquisition and
           compensation program for oyster leaseholders if dredging or soil
           placement occurs on leased lands as a result of coastal
           protection, conservation, or restoration projects.^13 As a result
           of these developments, during the early stages of a CWPPRA project
           design, Louisiana provides a map to federal agencies indicating
           any oyster leases that could be potentially affected by the
           project. Louisiana also provides data on the leases such as
           acreage and the name of the lessee so that federal agencies may
           fully consider existing commercial fishing leases when designing
           projects.

           Uncertainty of project performance. Some projects simply fail to
           perform as designed for reasons largely beyond the designers'
           control. A number of uncertainties that cannot always be fully
           modeled or predicted when designing a project can cause a project
           to be unsuccessful. A CWPPRA official told us that uncertain
           landscape features such as drainage patterns, earthen deposits,
           and soil content have prevented some projects from restoring an
           area as planned. For example, the Davis Pond Diversion--a
           structure comprised of large culverts built by the Corps to divert
           freshwater from the Mississippi River to restore nearby
           wetlands--releases less than half the amount of water it was
           designed to release. This has happened because landscape features
           prevented the water from flowing to the wetland areas as
           anticipated, and the flows cannot be increased because they might
           flood nearby private developments. According to Corps officials,
           however, most of these unanticipated problems have been corrected
           and officials expect water flow to increase to design levels by
           2009. Although the Davis Pond Diversion project is not a CWPPRA
           project, some CWPPRA projects have also not performed as designed.
           For example, a NMFS-sponsored CWPPRA project to repair a breach in
           a barrier island was unable to reconnect the two portions of the
           island because the rate of erosion had reached a point where the
           landscape could no longer be sustained. Additionally, a Corps
           project constructed in 1996 designed to restore 445 acres of
           marshland has been able to restore only 9 acres of vegetated
           wetlands because oyster leases in or adjacent to the project site
           prevented the use of dredged material to sufficiently elevate the
           marsh, causing the area to be flooded with saline water and
           restricting marsh growth. Finally, of the 20 CWPPRA projects
           terminated since 1990, 8 were terminated due to technical
           difficulties and design problems. For example, agency officials
           terminated a terracing project after concluding that it would not
           be technically feasible to construct terraces on the land due to
           poor sediment quality. However, some agency officials also told us
           that uncertain project performance may be anticipated, and it is
           not uncommon to change project designs after implementation to
           address problems.
			  
^11The appellate court affirmed this ruling, but slightly increased the
damage award. Avenal v. State of Louisiana, Dep't of Natural Res., 858 So.
2d 697 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

^12Avenal v. State of Louisiana, Department of Natural Resources, 886 So.
2d 1085 (La. 2004).

^13H.B. 1249, 2006 Leg., Reg. Sass. (La. 2006).			  

           Setbacks as a result of storm damage. Hurricanes can cause
           significant damage to coastal areas, including both naturally
           occurring and restored wetlands. For example, although Hurricanes
           Katrina and Rita did not directly hit and, therefore, cause
           significant damage to most CWPPRA projects, it destroyed tens of
           thousands of naturally occurring and other restored wetlands in
           the region. In particular, Hurricane Katrina destroyed about
           25,000 acres of restored and naturally occurring wetlands on the
           Caernarvon Project. The Caernarvon Project includes a large
           diversion structure constructed by the Corps in 1991 that diverts
           water and sediment from the Mississippi River to restore nearby
           wetlands. Although the Caernarvon Project is not a CWPPRA project,
           it is similar to some ongoing CWPPRA projects, and the damage that
           was inflicted by the hurricanes to this project demonstrates the
           vulnerability of restored areas to storms. With regard to the
           CWPPRA projects, storm surge from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
           damaged 18 of the 90 CWPPRA projects completed or under
           construction. Typical storm damage included sand fences torn away,
           storm debris scattered about, and water control structures that
           were overtopped. According to officials, 16 of the 18 damaged
           projects appeared to function as designed, but 2 were so damaged
           that officials considered them inoperable. Officials told us that
           plans were in place to repair the 2 inoperable projects but, as of
           July 2007, repairs had not begun.

           In this context, a draft report by the Association of State
           Wetland Managers^14 noted that although both freshwater and
           saltwater marshes in Louisiana sustained significant damage from
           recent hurricanes and storms, freshwater marshlands suffered more
           long-lasting effects. In many cases, canals and other flood
           protection structures have cut off freshwater marshes from
           freshwater and sediment, such as rivers, so that freshwater
           marshlands are unable to repair themselves. Sediment is necessary
           for the recovery of freshwater marshlands. In these cases, the
           study concluded that freshwater marshes may not heal following a
           hurricane or storm so that some form of restoration effort may be
           necessary.
			  
			  Concluding Observations

           Since 1990, CWPPRA projects have made an important first step to
           reducing land loss and ecosystem deterioration in Louisiana by
           protecting and restoring about 3 percent of the state's coastal
           areas. However, this level of effort is inadequate to stop coastal
           wetland losses that are projected to occur over the next 50 years,
           much less restore the coastal landscape to the condition it was in
           prior to the 1950s before levees and other flood control
           structures were constructed to control the Mississippi River. In
           light of recent proposals to restore and protect all of the
           roughly 2.5 million acres of Louisiana coastal wetlands through a
           comprehensive system of large-scale restoration projects and
           strategies that will receive billions of dollars over at least 20
           years, it is important that planners carefully consider the
           lessons learned from the experiences of the CWPPRA program. As the
           CWPPRA experience has demonstrated, restoration projects are
           subject to the same forces of erosion and subsidence as natural
           wetlands and, therefore, the long-term sustainability of these
           projects is dependent on the continuous infusion of resources for
           decades into the future. As recognized by the Water Resources
           Development Act of 2007, establishing an interagency approach and
           consultative process similar to that of the CWPPRA program is
           vital to ensuring that large-scale wetlands restoration efforts
           are developed in a comprehensive manner using the most
           cost-effective approaches. Also, critical to assessing the success
           of these efforts is the design and implementation of a
           comprehensive monitoring program. Even after 17 years, such a
           program has not been fully developed and implemented for the
           CWPPRA projects and, therefore, a comprehensive assessment of the
           projects constructed to date is still not possible. Finally,
           restoration project planners must take into account various
           uncertainties that could impact the successful implementation of
           projects and could lead to project delays and cost increases. As
           the CWPPRA experience demonstrates, not all of these uncertainties
           can be predicted in advance, however, a well-developed project
           implementation strategy that includes mechanisms to address these
           kinds of uncertainties as and when they arise is more likely to be
           successful.
			  
^14Kusler, Jon. Draft of "Wetlands and Natural Hazards." 2007.		

           Agency Comments and Our Evaluation	  

           We provided a copy of this report to the Departments of
           Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, the Interior, and EPA for review
           and comment.

           EPA agreed with our findings and observations and emphasized the
           importance of the collaborative approach used by the CWPPPRA
           agencies to provide for an effective program for coastal
           restoration. See appendix III for EPA's letter.

           The Department of Commerce provided comments on behalf of the
           National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in which it stated
           that our report was generally accurate and thorough. However, the
           agency also stated that the report's characterization of CWPPRA
           monitoring efforts was misleading because it suggested that the
           program is not able to assess the success of constructed projects.
           Although the agency acknowledged that proving project success
           based on statistical and scientific analysis is a challenge
           because long-term data are not generally available, it also
           emphasized that current efforts to monitor projects offer critical
           insights into project performance. While we disagree that our
           description of the CWPPRA monitoring efforts was misleading, we
           have revised the report to clarify some of the issues raised by
           the agency. The Department of Commerce also provided technical
           comments, which we incorporated throughout our report as
           appropriate. The Department of Commerce's letter can be found in
           appendix II.

           The Department of Defense provided only technical comments, which
           we incorporated throughout the report as appropriate. The
           Departments of Agriculture and the Interior did not provide
           comments on this report.

           We are sending copies of this report to the Secretaries of
           Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, the Interior; and the
           Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and
           interested congressional committees. We also will make copies
           available to others upon request. In addition, the report will be
           available, at no charge, on the GAO Web site at
           [18]http://www.gao.gov .

           If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please
           contact me at (202) 512-3841 or [email protected]. Contact points
           for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may
           be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff that made
           major contributions to this report are listed in appendix IV.

           Anu K. Mittal
			  Director, Natural Resources and Environment

           List of Congressional Addressees

The Honorable Peter J. Visclosky: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable David L. Hobson: 
Ranking Member: 
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies: 
Committee on Appropriations House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Norm D. Dicks: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Todd Tiahrt: 
Ranking Member: 
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: 
Committee on Appropriations: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Richard H. Baker: 
Ranking Member: 
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment: 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: 
House of Representatives: 

The Honorable Mary L. Landrieu: 
United States Senate: 

           Appendix I: Summary Schedules of CWPPRA Projects
			  
           This appendix contains tables listing Coastal Wetlands Planning,
           Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) projects in design and
           engineering (see table 1), under construction (see table 2),
           completed construction (see table 3), and terminated (see table 4)
           as of June 2007.

Table 1: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects in Design and Engineering as
of June 2007

                                                 Anticipated  Project                 
                          Agency                       total  approval     Total cost 
    Project name          sponsor Project type       acres^a  date           estimate 
1.  Alligator Bend Marsh  Corps   Marsh creation         330  Oct.        $19,620,813 
    Restoration and                                           2006                    
    Shoreline Protection                                                              
2.  Southwest Louisiana   Corps   Shoreline              888  Oct.         36,922,487 
    Gulf Shoreline                protection                  2006                    
    Nourishment and                                                                   
    Protection                                                                        
3.  Enhancement of        EPA     Vegetative        Data not  Oct.            919,599 
    Barrier Island                planting        applicable  2006                    
    Vegetation                                                                        
    Demonstration                                                                     
4.  Madison Bay Marsh     NMFS    Marsh creation         372  Oct.         32,353,377 
    Creation and                                              2006                    
    Terracing                                                                         
5.  West Belle Pass       NMFS    Marsh creation         299  Oct.         32,563,747 
    Barrier Headland                                          2006                    
    Restoration Project                                                               
6.  Lake Hermitage Marsh  FWS     Marsh creation         438  Feb.         32,673,327 
    Creation                                                  2006                    
7.  Bayou Lamoque         Corps   Freshwater             620  Feb.          5,375,741 
    Freshwater Diversion          reintroduction              2006                    
8.  Venice Ponds Marsh    EPA     Marsh creation         511  Feb.          8,992,955 
    Creation and                                              2006                    
    Crevasses                                                                         
9.  South Pecan Island    NMFS    Hydrologic              98  Feb.          4,438,695 
    Freshwater                    restoration                 2006                    
    Introduction                                                                      
10. East Marsh Island     EPA     Marsh creation         189  Feb.         16,824,999 
    Marsh Creation                                            2005                    
11. South Shore of the    NRCS    Shoreline              116  Feb.         17,513,780 
    Pen Shoreline                 protection                  2005                    
    Protection and Marsh                                                              
    Creation                                                                          
12. White Ditch           NRCS    Freshwater             189  Feb.         14,845,193 
    Resurrection                  reintroduction              2005                    
13. Riverine Sand         NMFS    Barrier island         234  Feb.         44,544,636 
    Mining/Scofield               restoration                 2005                    
    Island Restoration                                                                
14. Goose Point/Point     FWS     Marsh creation         436  Jan.         20,867,777 
    Platte Marsh Creation                                     2004                    
15. Bayou Sale Shoreline  NRCS    Shoreline              329  Jan.         32,103,020 
    Protection                    protection                  2004                    
16. Spanish Pass          Corps   Sediment               433  Jan.         14,212,169 
    Diversion                     diversion                   2004                    
17. Whiskey Island Back   EPA     Barrier island         272  Jan.         22,243,934 
    Barrier Marsh                 restoration                 2004                    
    Creation                                                                          
                                                 Anticipated  Project                 
                          Agency                       total  approval     Total cost 
    Project name          sponsor Project type       acres^a  date           estimate 
18. Mississippi River     Corps   Sediment and         1,190  Jan.         52,180,839 
    Sediment Trap                 nutrient                    2003                    
                                  trapping                                            
19. Avoca Island          Corps   Sediment               143  Jan.         18,823,322 
    Diversion and Land            diversion                   2003                    
    Building                                                                          
20. Bayou Dupont Sediment EPA     Marsh creation         400  Jan.         24,925,734 
    Delivery System                                           2003                    
21. Lake Borgne and       Corps   Shoreline              266  Jan.         22,748,889 
    Mississippi River             protection                  2003                    
    Gulf Outlet Shoreline                                                             
    Protection                                                                        
22. Ship Shoal: Whiskey   EPA     Barrier island         195  Jan.         42,918,821 
    West Flank                    restoration                 2002                    
    Restoration                                                                       
23. West Lake Boudreaux   FWS     Shoreline              277  Jan.         19,585,055 
    Shoreline Protection          protection                  2002                    
    and Marsh Creation                                                                
24. River Reintroduction  EPA     Freshwater           5,438  Jan.         57,815,647 
    into Maurepas Swamp           reintroduction              2002                    
25. South Grand Chenier   FWS     Hydrologic             440  Jan.         19,930,316 
    Hydrologic                    restoration                 2002                    
    Restoration                                                                       
26. Grand Lake Shoreline  Corps   Shoreline              540  Jan.         11,811,039 
    Protection                    protection                  2002                    
27. Pass Chaland to Grand NMFS    Barrier island         263  Jan.         30,217,567 
    Bayou Pass Barrier            restoration                 2002                    
    Shoreline Restoration                                                             
28. Dedicated Dredging on FWS     Marsh creation         605  Jan.         15,842,343 
    the Barataria Basin                                       2002                    
    Landbridge                                                                        
29. Lake Borgne Shoreline EPA     Shoreline              165  Jan.         25,581,099 
    Protection                    protection                  2001                    
30. Terrebonne Bay Shore  FWS     Shoreline         Data not  Jan.          2,503,768 
    Protection                    protection      applicable  2001                    
    Demonstration                                                                     
31. Small Freshwater      EPA     Freshwater             941  Jan.         13,803,361 
    Diversion to the              reintroduction              2001                    
    Northwestern                                                                      
    Barataria Basin                                                                   
32. Delta Building        Corps   Sediment               501  Jan.          6,297,286 
    Diversion North of            diversion                   2001                    
    Fort St. Philip                                                                   
33. Rockefeller Refuge    NMFS    Shoreline              920  Jan.         50,408,478 
    Gulf Shoreline                protection                  2001                    
    Stabilization                                                                     
34. Benneys Bay Diversion Corps   Sediment             5,706  Jan.         53,702,881 
                                  diversion                   2001                    
35. Gulf Intracoastal     NRCS    Shoreline              366  Jan.         29,987,641 
    Waterway Bank                 protection                  2001                    
    Restoration of                                                                    
    Critical Areas in                                                                 
    Terrebonne                                                                        
36. Delta Building        Corps   Sediment             8,891  Jan.          3,002,114 
    Diversion at Myrtle           diversion                   2001                    
    Grove                                                                             
37. East Grand Terre      NMFS    Barrier island         335  Jan.         31,226,531 
    Island Restoration            restoration                 2000                    
38. Little Pecan Bayou    NRCS    Hydrologic             144  Jan.         14,597,263 
    Hydrologic                    restoration                 2000                    
    Restoration                                                                       
                                                 Anticipated  Project                 
                          Agency                       total  approval     Total cost 
    Project name          sponsor Project type       acres^a  date           estimate 
39. South Lake Decade     NRCS    Shoreline              201  Jan.          3,873,744 
    Freshwater                    protection                  2000                    
    Introduction                                                                      
40. Opportunistic Use of  Corps   Freshwater             177  Jan.          1,121,757 
    the Bonnet Carre              reintroduction              2000                    
    Spillway                                                                          
41. Freshwater Bayou Bank Corps   Shoreline              241  Jan.         17,756,468 
    Stabilization-Belle           protection                  2000                    
    Isle Canal to Lock                                                                
42. Periodic Introduction Corps   Sediment                    Jan.          1,502,817 
    of Sediment and               diversion                   2000                    
    Nutrients at Selected                                                             
    Diversion Sites                                 Data not                          
    Demonstration                                 applicable                          
43. Castille Pass Channel NMFS    Sediment               577  Jan.         19,657,695 
    Sediment Delivery             diversion                   2000                    
44. Weeks Bay Marsh       Corps   Shoreline              278  Jan.         30,027,305 
    Creation and Shore            protection                  2000                    
    Protection/Commercial                                                             
    Canal/Freshwater                                                                  
    Redirection                                                                       
45. LaBranche Wetlands    NMFS    Terracing              489  Jan.          8,828,343 
    Terracing, Planting,                                      2000                    
    and Shoreline                                                                     
    Protection                                                                        
46. Sabine Refuge Marsh   Corps   Marsh creation         261  Jan.          9,490,000 
    Creation, Part Two of                                     1999                    
    Five                                                                              
47. Sabine Refuge Marsh   Corps   Marsh creation         163  Jan.                  0 
    Creation, Part Four                                       1999                    
    of Five                                                                           
48. Sabine Refuge Marsh   Corps   Marsh creation         168  Jan.                  0 
    Creation, Part Five                                       1999                    
    of Five                                                                           
49. Lake Boudreaux        FWS     Freshwater             603  Apr.         10,519,383 
    Freshwater                    reintroduction              1997                    
    Introduction                                                                      
50. Penchant Basin        NRCS    Hydrologic           1,155  Apr.         14,455,551 
    Natural Resources             restoration                 1997                    
    Plan, Part One                                                                    
51. Grand Bayou           FWS     Hydrologic             199  Feb.          8,209,722 
    Hydrologic                    restoration                 1996                    
    Restoration                                                                       
52. Mississippi River     EPA     Freshwater             988  Oct.         11,200,000 
    Reintroduction into           reintroduction              2001                    
    Bayou Lafourche                                                                   
53. Myrtle Grove Siphon   NMFS    Freshwater           1,119  Feb.            481,803 
                                  reintroduction              1996                    
54. West Pointe a la      NRCS    Outfall              1,087  Oct.          4,068,045 
    Hache Outfall                 management                  1993                    
    Management                                                                        
55. Brown Lake Hydrologic NRCS    Hydrologic             282  Oct.          4,002,363 
    Restoration                   restoration                 1992                    
56. Storm Recovery        FWS     Operation and     Data not  Oct.            303,359 
    Assessment Fund               maintenance     applicable  2006                    
57. Monitoring            FWS     Monitoring        Data not  Dec.          1,500,000 
    Contingency Fund                              applicable  1999                    
    Grand total                                       41,468           $1,051,924,598 

Source: GAO analysis of Corps data.

Note: Data as of June 8, 2007.

^aThe CWPPRA program does not report acreage for demonstration projects.
Demonstration projects test new techniques and materials for the
restoration or protection of coastal wetlands. Other projects, such as the
FWS' Storm Recovery Assessment Fund and Monitoring Contingency Fund, are
projects that support the CWPPRA program.

Table 2: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects under Construction as of June
2007

                                             Anticipated  Project       Current               
                         Agency  Project           total  approval   total cost  Construction 
    Project name         sponsor type            acres^a  date         estimate  start date   
1.  Coastwide Reference  FWS     Monitoring     Data not  Aug.      $66,890,300  Aug. 2003    
    Monitoring System                         applicable  2003                                
    for Wetlands                                                                              
2.  Freshwater Floating  NRCS    Marsh          Data not  Jan.        1,080,891  Jul. 2004    
    Marsh Creation               creation     applicable  2003                                
    Demonstration                                                                             
3.  Coastwide Nutria     NRCS    Invasive         14,963  Jan.       68,864,870  Nov. 2002    
    Control Program              species                  2002                                
                                 control                                                      
                                 program                                                      
4.  Little Lake          NMFS    Shoreline           713  Jan.       38,496,395  Aug. 2005    
    Shoreline                    protection               2002                                
    Protection/Dedicated                                                                      
    Dredging near Round                                                                       
    Lake                                                                                      
5.  Raccoon Island       NRCS    Barrier             167  Jan.       10,609,834  Dec. 2005    
    Shoreline                    island                   2002                                
    Protection/Marsh             restoration                                                  
    Creation, Part Two                                                                        
6.  Barataria Barrier    NMFS    Barrier             534  Jan.       67,349,433  Mar. 2006    
    Island: Pelican              island                   2002                                
    Island and Pass La           restoration                                                  
    Mer to Chaland Pass                                                                       
7.  North Lake Mechant   FWS     Marsh               604  Jan.       30,952,917  Apr. 2003    
    Landbridge                   creation                 2001                                
    Restoration                                                                               
8.  East Sabine Lake     FWS     Hydrologic          225  Jan.        6,490,751  Dec. 2004    
    Hydrologic                   restoration              2001                                
    Restoration^b                                                                             
9.  Barataria Basin      NRCS    Shoreline           264  Jan.       34,151,587  Oct. 2003    
    Landbridge Shoreline         protection               2000                                
    Protection, Part                                                                          
    Three                                                                                     
10. Timbalier Island     EPA     Barrier             273  Jan.       16,726,000  Jun. 2004    
    Dune and Marsh               island                   2000                                
    Restoration^b                restoration                                                  
11. Black Bayou Culverts NRCS    Hydrologic          540  Jan.        6,091,675  May 2005     
    Hydrologic                   restoration              2000                                
    Restoration                                                                               
12. New Cut Dune and     EPA     Barrier             102  Jan.       13,158,878  Oct. 2006    
    Marsh Restoration            island                   2000                                
                                 restoration                                                  
13. Sabine Refuge Marsh  Corps   Marsh               187  Jan.        4,536,666  Oct. 2006    
    Creation, Part Three         creation                 1999                                
    of Five                                                                                   
14. Barataria Basin      NRCS    Shoreline         1,304  Jan.       31,288,623  Dec. 2000    
    Landbridge Shoreline         protection               1998                                
    Protection, Part One                                                                      
    and Two                                                                                   
15. West Belle Pass      Corps   Shoreline           474  Oct.        6,751,441  Feb. 1998    
    Headland Restoration         protection               1992                                
16. Jonathan Davis       NRCS    Hydrologic          510  Oct.       28,886,616  Jun. 1998    
    Wetland Restoration          restoration              1992                                
    Grand total                                   20,860           $432,326,877               

Source: GAO analysis of Corps data.

Note: Data as of June 8, 2007.

aThe CWPPRA program does not report acreage for demonstration projects.
Demonstration projects test new techniques and materials for the
restoration or protection of coastal wetlands. Other projects, such as the
Coastwide Reference Monitoring System for Wetlands, support the CWPPRA
program.

bDamaged by Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Table 3: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects Completed as of June 2007

                                              Anticipated  Project        Current  Construction 
                        Agency                total        approval    total cost  completion   
    Project name        sponsor  Project type acres^a      date          estimate  date         
1.  Shoreline           Corps    Shoreline       Data not  Jan.        $1,055,000  Aug. 2006    
    Protection                   protection    applicable  2004                                 
    Foundation                                                                                  
    Improvements                                                                                
    Demonstration                                                                               
2.  South White Lake    Corps    Shoreline            844  Jan.        19,673,929  Aug. 2006    
    Shoreline                    protection                2003                                 
    Protection                                                                                  
3.  Holly Beach Sand    NRCS     Shoreline            330  Jan.        14,130,233  Mar. 2003    
    Management^b                 protection                2002                                 
4.  Barataria Basin     NRCS     Shoreline            256  Jan.        21,457,097  Apr. 2006    
    Landbridge                   protection                2002                                 
    Shoreline                                                                                   
    Protection, Part                                                                            
    Four                                                                                        
5.  Delta Management at FWS      Sediment             267  Jan.         3,183,940  Dec. 2006    
    Fort St. Philip              diversion                 2001                                 
6.  Grand-White Lake    FWS      Shoreline            213  Jan.         8,584,334  Oct. 2004    
    Landbridge                   protection                2001                                 
    Restoration                                                                                 
7.  State of Louisiana  EPA      Conservation    Data not  Dec.           191,807  Nov. 1997    
    Wetlands                     plan          applicable  2000                                 
    Conservation Plan                                                                           
8.  Freshwater          FWS      Hydrologic           296  Jan.         6,203,110  Dec. 2006    
    Introduction South           restoration               2000                                 
    of Highway 82                                                                               
9.  Mandalay Bank       FWS      Shoreline       Data not  Jan.         1,767,214  Sept. 2003   
    Protection                   protection    applicable  2000                                 
    Demonstration                                                                               
10. Chandeleur Islands  NMFS     Vegetative           220  Jan.           937,977  Jul. 2001    
    Marsh Restoration            planting                  2000                                 
11. Four Mile Canal     NMFS     Terracing            167  Jan.         4,886,818  May 2004     
    Terracing and                                          2000                                 
    Sediment Trapping                                                                           
12. Perry Ridge West    NRCS     Shoreline             83  Jan.         3,747,742  Jul. 2002    
    Bank Stabilization           protection                2000                                 
13. Sabine Refuge Marsh Corps    Marsh                214  Jan.         3,421,671  Feb. 2002    
    Creation, Part One           creation                  1999                                 
    of Five                                                                                     
14. Hopedale Hydrologic NMFS     Hydrologic           134  Jan.         2,432,958  Jan. 2005    
    Restoration^b                restoration               1999                                 
15. Humble Canal        NRCS     Hydrologic           378  Jan.         1,530,812  Mar. 2003    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1999                                 
    Restoration^b                                                                               
16. Lake Portage Land   NRCS     Hydrologic            24  Jan.         1,181,129  May 2004     
    Bridge                       restoration               1999                                 
17. Grand Terre         NMFS     Vegetative           127  Jan.           492,774  Jul. 2001    
    Vegetative                   planting                  1998                                 
    Plantings                                                                                   
18. Pecan Island        NMFS     Terracing            442  Jan.         2,391,953  Sept. 2003   
    Terracing                                              1998                                 
19. Thin Mat Floating   NRCS     Marsh           Data not  Jan.           538,101  May 2000     
    Marsh Enhancement            creation      applicable  1998                                 
    Demonstration                                                                               
20. Flexible Dustpan    Corps    Marsh           Data not  Apr.         1,911,487  Jun. 2002    
    Demo at Head of              creation      applicable  1997                                 
    Passes                                                                                      
    Demonstration                                                                               
21. Marsh Island        Corps    Hydrologic           408  Apr.         5,143,288  Dec. 2001    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1997                                 
    Restoration^b                                                                               
22. Nutria Harvest for  FWS      Invasive        Data not  Apr.           804,683  Oct. 2003    
    Wetland Restoration          species       applicable  1997                                 
    Demonstration                control                                                        
                                 program                                                        
23. Black Bayou         NMFS     Hydrologic         3,594  Apr.         5,972,613  Nov. 2003    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1997                                 
    Restoration                                                                                 
24. Delta Wide          NMFS     Sediment           2,386  Apr.         4,752,653  May 2005     
    Crevasses                    diversion                 1997                                 
25. Sediment Trapping   NMFS     Sediment and       1,999  Apr.         3,392,135  May 2005     
    at The Jaws                  nutrient                  1997                                 
                                 trapping                                                       
26. Barataria Bay       NRCS     Shoreline            217  Apr.         5,224,477  May 2001     
    Waterway East Side           protection                1997                                 
    Shoreline                                                                                   
    Protection                                                                                  
27. Cheniere au Tigre   NRCS     Sediment and    Data not  Apr.           624,999  Nov. 2001    
    Sediment Trapping            nutrient      applicable  1997                                 
    Demonstration                trapping                                                       
28. Oaks/Avery Canal    NRCS     Hydrologic           160  Apr.         2,925,216  Oct. 2002    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1997                                 
    Restoration, Part                                                                           
    One                                                                                         
29. Bayou Chevee        Corps    Shoreline             75  Feb.         2,589,403  Dec. 2001    
    Shoreline                    protection                1996                                 
    Protection                                                                                  
30. Little Vermilion    NMFS     Sediment and         441  Feb.           886,030  Aug. 1999    
    Bay Sediment                 nutrient                  1996                                 
    Trapping                     trapping                                                       
31. Freshwater Bayou    NRCS     Shoreline            511  Feb.         2,543,313  Jun. 1998    
    Bank Stabilization           protection                1996                                 
32. Naomi Outfall       NRCS     Outfall              633  Feb.         2,181,427  Jul. 2002    
    Management                   management                1996                                 
33. Raccoon Island      NRCS     Shoreline       Data not  Feb.         1,795,388  Jul. 1997    
    Breakwaters                  protection    applicable  1996                                 
    Demonstration                                                                               
34. Sweet Lake/Willow   NRCS     Shoreline            247  Feb.         4,242,995  Oct. 2002    
    Lake Hydrologic              protection                1996                                 
    Restoration                                                                                 
35. East Timbalier      NMFS     Barrier              215  Dec.         7,600,863  Jan. 2000    
    Island Sediment              island                    1994                                 
    Restoration, Part            restoration                                                    
    Two^b                                                                                       
36. Barataria Bay       NRCS     Shoreline            232  Dec.         3,013,365  Nov. 2000    
    Waterway West Side           protection                1994                                 
    Shoreline                                                                                   
    Protection                                                                                  
37. Perry Ridge Shore   NRCS     Shoreline          1,203  Dec.         2,289,090  Feb. 1999    
    Protection                   protection                1994                                 
38. Plowed Terraces     NRCS     Terracing       Data not  Dec.           325,641  Aug. 2000    
    Demonstration                              applicable  1994                                 
39. Channel Armor Gap   Corps    Sediment             936  Oct.1993       888,985  Nov. 1997    
    Crevasse                     diversion                                                      
40. Mississippi River   Corps    Hydrologic           755  Oct.           313,145  Jan. 1999    
    Gulf Outlet                  restoration               1993                                 
    Disposal Area Marsh                                                                         
    Protection                                                                                  
41. Whiskey Island      EPA      Barrier            1,239  Oct.         7,106,586  Jun. 2000    
    Restoration^b                island                    1993                                 
                                 restoration                                                    
42. Sabine Refuge       FWS      Hydrologic           953  Oct.         4,528,418  Sept. 2003   
    Structure                    restoration               1993                                 
    Replacement (Hog                                                                            
    Island)^b                                                                                   
43. East Timbalier      NMFS     Barrier            1,913  Oct.         3,729,587  May 2001     
    Island Sediment              island                    1993                                 
    Restoration, Part            restoration                                                    
    One^b                                                                                       
44. Lake Chapeau        NMFS     Marsh                509  Oct.         5,605,856  May 1999     
    Sediment Input and           creation                  1993                                 
    Hydrologic                                                                                  
    Restoration                                                                                 
45. Lake Salvador Shore NMFS     Shoreline       Data not  Oct.         2,801,782  Jun. 1998    
    Protection                   protection    applicable  1993                                 
    Demonstration                                                                               
46. Brady Canal         NRCS     Hydrologic           297  Oct.         5,279,558  May 2000     
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1993                                 
    Restoration                                                                                 
47. Cameron-Creole      NRCS     Hydrologic         2,602  Oct.         5,840,505  Sept. 1997   
    Maintenance^b                restoration               1993                                 
48. Cote Blanche        NRCS     Hydrologic         2,223  Oct.         7,889,103  Dec. 1998    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1993                                 
    Restoration                                                                                 
49. Clear Marais Bank   Corps    Shoreline          1,067  Oct.         3,696,088  Mar. 1997    
    Protection                   protection                1992                                 
50. Isles Dernieres     EPA      Barrier              109  Oct.        10,774,974  Jun. 1999    
    Restoration Trinity          island                    1992                                 
    Island^b                     restoration                                                    
51. Bayou Sauvage       FWS      Hydrologic         1,280  Oct.         1,642,552  May 1997     
    National Wildlife            restoration               1992                                 
    Refuge Hydrologic                                                                           
    Restoration, Part                                                                           
    Two                                                                                         
52. Atchafalaya         NMFS     Sediment           2,232  Oct.         2,532,147  Mar. 1998    
    Sediment Delivery            diversion                 1992                                 
53. Big Island Mining   NMFS     Marsh              1,560  Oct.         7,077,404  Oct. 1998    
                                 creation                  1992                                 
54. Point Au Fer Canal  NMFS     Shoreline            375  Oct.         3,235,208  May 1997     
    Plugs                        protection                1992                                 
55. Caernarvon          NRCS     Outfall              802  Oct.         4,536,000  Jun. 2002    
    Diversion Outfall            management                1992                                 
    Management^b                                                                                
56. East Mud Lake Marsh NRCS     Marsh              1,520  Oct.         4,095,936  Jun. 1996    
    Management^b                 management                1992                                 
57. Freshwater Bayou    NRCS     Shoreline          1,593  Oct.         3,455,303  Aug. 1998    
    Wetland Protection           protection                1992                                 
58. Fritchie Marsh      NRCS     Hydrologic         1,040  Oct.         2,201,674  Mar. 2001    
    Restoration                  restoration               1992                                 
59. Highway 384         NRCS     Hydrologic           150  Oct.         1,058,554  Jan. 2000    
    Hydrologic                   restoration               1992                                 
    Restoration^b                                                                               
60. Vermilion           NRCS     Shoreline            378  Oct.         1,012,649  Nov. 1995    
    Bay/Boston Canal             protection                1992                                 
    Shore Protection                                                                            
61. Barataria Bay       Corps    Marsh                445  Oct.         1,172,896  Oct. 1996    
    Waterway Wetland             creation                  1991                                 
    Creation                                                                                    
62. Bayou Labranche     Corps    Marsh                203  Oct.         3,817,929  Apr. 1994    
    Wetland Creation             creation                  1991                                 
63. Lake Salvador       Corps    Shoreline       Data not  Oct.            58,753  Mar. 1996    
    Shoreline                    protection    applicable  1991                                 
    Protection at Jean                                                                          
    Lafitte National                                                                            
    Historic Park and                                                                           
    Preserve                                                                                    
64. Vermilion River     Corps    Shoreline             65  Oct.         2,022,987  Feb. 1996    
    Cutoff Bank                  protection                1991                                 
    Protection                                                                                  
65. West Bay Sediment   Corps    Sediment           9,831  Oct.        22,312,761  Nov. 2003    
    Diversion                    diversion                 1991                                 
66. Isles Dernieres     EPA      Barrier                9  Oct.         8,762,416  Jun. 1999    
    Restoration East             island                    1991                                 
    Island^b                     restoration                                                    
67. Bayou Sauvage       FWS      Hydrologic         1,550  Oct.         1,630,193  May 1996     
    National Wildlife            restoration               1991                                 
    Refuge Hydrologic                                                                           
    Restoration, Part                                                                           
    One                                                                                         
68. Cameron Creole      FWS      Hydrologic           865  Oct.           991,295  Jan. 1997    
    Plugs^b                      restoration               1991                                 
69. Cameron Prairie     FWS      Shoreline            247  Oct.         1,227,123  Aug. 1994    
    National Wildlife            protection                1991                                 
    Refuge Shoreline                                                                            
    Protection                                                                                  
70. Sabine National     FWS      Shoreline          5,542  Oct.         1,602,656  Mar. 1995    
    Wildlife Refuge              protection                1991                                 
    Erosion Protection                                                                          
71. Gulf Intracoastal   NRCS     Hydrologic           175  Oct,         8,916,131  Oct. 2000    
    Waterway to                  restoration               1991                                 
    Clovelly Hydrologic                                                                         
    Restoration^b                                                                               
72. Vegetative          NRCS     Vegetative      Data not  Oct.           209,284  Dec. 1996    
    Plantings-Falgout            planting      applicable  1991                                 
    Canal Planting                                                                              
    Demonstration                                                                               
73. Vegetative          NRCS     Vegetative      Data not  Oct.           293,124  Jul. 1996    
    Plantings-Timbalier          planting      applicable  1991                                 
    Island Planting                                                                             
    Demonstration                                                                               
74. Vegetative          NRCS     Vegetative      Data not  Oct.           258,805  Mar. 1994    
    Plantings-West               planting      applicable  1991                                 
    Hackberry Planting                                                                          
    Demonstration                                                                               
    Grand total                                    58,781            $298,606,032               

Source: GAO analysis of Corps data.

Note: Data as of June 8, 2007.

aThe CWPPRA program does not report acreage for demonstration projects.
Demonstration projects test new techniques and materials for the
restoration or protection of coastal wetlands. Other projects, such as the
state of Louisiana Wetlands Conservation Plan, support the CWPPRA program.
The Lake Salvador Shoreline Protection project at Jean Lafitte National
Historic Park and Preserve was designed under CWPPRA but construction was
funded by the National Park Service.

bDamaged by Hurricane Katrina or Rita in 2005.

Table 4: Summary Schedule of CWPPRA Projects Terminated as of June 2007

                                                     Project  Project        Current                 
                              Agency                 approval termination total cost  Reason for     
    Project name              sponsor Project type   date     date          estimate  termination    
1.  LA Highway 1 Marsh        EPA     Marsh creation Jan.     Feb. 2005     $343,551  Cost-          
    Creation                                         2000                             effectiveness, 
                                                                                      technical      
                                                                                      difficulties   
2.  Bayou L'Ours Ridge        NRCS    Hydrologic     Dec.     Apr. 2003      371,232  Land rights    
    Hydrologic Restoration            restoration    1994                                            
3.  Upper Oak River           NRCS    Freshwater     Jan.     Jan. 2003       56,476  Cost-          
    Freshwater Siphon                 reintroduction 1999                             effectiveness  
4.  Bayou Bienvenue Pump      NMFS    Terracing      Jan.     Apr. 2002      212,153  Cost-          
    Station Diversion and                            1999                             effectiveness  
    Terracing                                                                                        
5.  Compost Demonstration     EPA     Marsh creation Dec.     Jan. 2002      213,645  Technical      
                                                     1994                             difficulties   
6.  Red Mud Demonstration     EPA     Marsh creation Oct.     Aug. 2001      470,500  Technical      
                                                     1993                             difficulties   
7.  Beneficial Use of Hopper  Corps   Marsh creation Dec.     Oct. 2000       58,310  Technical      
    Dredge Material                                  1994                             difficulties   
    Demonstration                                                                                    
8.  Violet Freshwater         NRCS    Outfall        Oct.     Oct. 2000      128,627  Land rights    
    Distribution                      management     1993                                            
9.  Flotant Marsh Fencing     NRCS    Vegetation     Dec.     Oct. 2000      106,960  Technical      
    Demonstration                     planting       1994                             difficulties   
10. Southwest Shore White     NRCS    Shoreline      Oct.     Oct. 1998      103,468  Technical      
    Lake Demonstration                protection     1993                             difficulties   
11. Pass-a-Loutre Crevasse    Corps   Sediment       Oct.     Jul. 1998      119,835  Cost-          
                                      diversion      1993                             effectiveness  
12. Grand Bay Crevasse        Corps   Sediment       Dec.     Jul. 1998       65,747  Land rights    
                                      diversion      1994                                            
13. Marsh Creation East of    Corps   Marsh creation Apr.     Jul. 1998       66,869  Cost-          
    the Atchafalaya                                  1997                             effectiveness  
    River-Avoca Island                                                                               
14. Bayou Boeuf Pump Station  EPA     Hydrologic     Apr.     Jul. 1998        3,452  Technical      
                                      restoration    1997                             difficulties   
15. Bayou Perot/Bayou         NMFS    Marsh creation Oct.     Jan. 1998       20,963  Cost-          
    Rigolettes Marsh                                 1993                             effectiveness  
    Restoration                                                                                      
16. Eden Isles East Marsh     NMFS    Hydrologic     Dec.     Jan. 1998       78,051  Land rights    
    Restoration                       restoration    1994                                            
17. White's Ditch Outfall     NRCS    Outfall        Oct.     Jan. 1998       32,862  Land rights    
    Management                        management     1993                                            
18. Lower Bayou LaCache       NMFS    Hydrologic     Oct.     Feb. 1996       99,625  Land rights    
    Hydrologic Restoration            restoration    1991                                            
19. Vegetation                NRCS    Vegetation     Oct.     Feb. 1996      184,024  Design         
    Plantings-Dewitt-Rollover         planting       1991                             problems       
    Planting Demonstration                                                                           
20. Fourchon Hydrologic       NMFS    Hydrologic     Oct.     Jul. 1994        7,703  Land rights    
    Restoration                       restoration    1991                                            
    Grand total                                                           $2,744,053                 

Source: GAO analysis of Corps data.

Note: Data as of June 8, 2007.

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Commerce

The following are GAO's comments on the Department of Commerce's letter
dated November 26, 2007.

GAO Comments

           1. We disagree with the agency that the reports' characterization
           of CWPPRA monitoring is misleading because it suggests that the
           program is not able to assess the success of constructed projects.
           However, we have modified the report to clarify some of the issues
           raised by the agency.

Appendix III: Comments from the Environmental Protection Agency

Appendix IV: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments

GAO Contact

Anu K. Mittal, (202) 512-3841, or [email protected]

Staff Acknowledgments

In addition to the individual named above, Edward Zadjura, Assistant
Director; James Dishmon; Doreen Feldman; Christine Frye; Moses Garcia;
Sheila McCoy; and Alison O'Neill made key contributions to this report.

(360749)

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Highlights of [26]GAO-08-130 , a report to congressional addressees

December 2007

COASTAL WETLANDS

Lessons Learned from Past Efforts in Louisiana Could Help Guide Future
Restoration and Protection

Louisiana, home to 40 percent of all coastal wetlands in the lower 48
states, is projected to lose almost 17 square miles of coastline each year
for the next 50 years to storms, sea level rise, and land subsidence.
Coastal wetlands are an important wildlife and commercial resource, and
provide a natural buffer against the storm surge that accompanies storms
and hurricanes. The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration
Act (CWPPRA) established a program in 1990 that undertakes projects to
stem coastal wetland losses. Recently, the Congress passed other measures
that will make billions in new funding available for coastal Louisiana
over the next 20 years. GAO has prepared this report under the Comptroller
General's authority as part of a continued effort to assist the Congress.
GAO reviewed the CWPPRA program to identify the (1) types of projects that
have been designed and constructed to restore and protect coastal
wetlands, as well as their estimated costs and benefits, and (2) lessons
learned from past and ongoing restoration efforts that can help guide
future efforts. GAO's review included interviews with each program agency.

Although GAO is not making any recommendations, this review emphasizes the
need for agencies to carefully consider the lessons learned from the
CWPPRA program as they propose significantly larger efforts to restore
Louisiana's coast. GAO received technical comments from two agencies which
have been incorporated as appropriate.

Over the last 17 years under CWPPRA, federal agencies and Louisiana have
designed and/or constructed 147 projects to restore and protect over
120,000 acres of coastal wetlands--about 3 percent of the Louisiana coast.
Projects have included large-scale efforts that reintroduce freshwater and
sediment to declining wetlands, as well as smaller projects such as
shoreline barriers and vegetation plantings to protect and restore the
coastal landscape. As of June 2007, of these 147 projects, 74 were
completely constructed, 16 were under construction, and 57 were being
designed and engineered. While the majority of projects are full-scale
restoration and protection efforts, 22 were demonstration projects,
initiated to test new techniques and materials. The cost of projects can
vary considerably from about $9,000 per acre to plant marsh plants to
almost $54,000 per acre to restore barrier islands. As of June 2007, the
estimated cost to complete all 147 projects was $1.78 billion. Projects
also require a continuous source of funding to maintain them over their
expected life spans, which in most cases are about 20 years--yet like
naturally occurring wetlands, most restored wetlands are also subject to
continuous erosion and subsidence over time. Because the CWPPRA program
has not implemented a comprehensive evaluation and monitoring approach, it
is not possible to determine the collective success of constructed
projects.

Previous and ongoing efforts to restore and protect Louisiana's coastal
wetlands offer important lessons to guide future restoration plans and
strategies. Of particular importance is maintaining the collaborative
process used by the CWPPRA program agencies, under which scientists,
engineers, and others with a range of experience and expertise work
together to plan and design restoration projects that are feasible and
achievable. In addition, a number of other issues will need to be
addressed as larger and more complex restoration efforts are undertaken in
the future. Specifically,

           o Increasing project costs can delay individual projects, as well
           as the overall program--currently 10 CWPPRA projects are on hold
           waiting for funds because estimated construction costs exceed
           funds available.
           o Without an integrated monitoring system, officials cannot
           determine whether goals and objectives are being met--even after 4
           years such a system is not fully implemented for CWPPRA.
           o Identifying and addressing private landowner issues is critical
           in the project design phase--in some instances, these issues have
           led to costly project modifications or construction delays for
           some CWPPRA projects.
           o Some projects simply fail to perform as designed due to
           landscape, structural, or other causes beyond the designers'
           control--some CWPPRA projects were terminated because such
           problems were not anticipated or could not be resolved.
           o Storms and hurricanes can result in significant setbacks to
           projects--large areas of both naturally occurring and restored
           wetlands can be destroyed in just a few days if hit by a powerful
           storm.

A well-developed implementation strategy that has mechanisms to address
these types of uncertainties, when they arise, is more likely to be
successful.

References

Visible links

  17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico
  18. http://www.gao.gov/
  19. http://www.gao.gov/
  20. http://www.gao.gov/
  21. http://www.gao.gov/fraudnet/fraudnet.htm
  22. mailto:[email protected]
  23. mailto:[email protected]
  24. mailto:[email protected]
  25. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-130
  26. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-130
*** End of document. ***