Louisiana is set to receive another $52 million to fund ongoing coastal restoration and construction work. The funds are being allocated from Clean Water Act fines paid by Transocean due to its liability in the 2010 BP Gulf Oil disaster. The money will go to pay for two projects ready to break ground, and for studies to lay the groundwork for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of large-scale coastal restoration efforts.
The projects include $8.7 million for filling old exploration canals near Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and $7.3 million for construction of a beach, dune and back marsh restoration project on West Grand Terre Island. The remaining $36.2 million will be used for planning and design of a number of projects including a freshwater diversion from the Mississippi River to the Maurepas Swamp, marsh restoration and ridge creation along Bayou Dularge and marsh restoration near the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier.