barrier island status report - Coastal Protection and Restoration ...

Habitat analysis based on the aerial photography is complete. Detailed habitat data for all BICM
shoreline areas are available for 1996/98, 2002, 2004, and 2005 along with change maps
showing habitat differences for all time periods (Figures 11 and 12).
Collection of surficial sediments for sediment characterization was conducted in 2008 and
analysis is complete. Sediment characterization analysis, reports, and distribution maps are
available (Figure 13).
Analysis and final report preparation is ongoing through USGS and publication of an USGS
open file report (Baldwin et al., 2009) should be completed in early 2013. Planning and design
of the program will continue to refine future data collection, analysis, products, tools, and
timelines for future programmatic monitoring.
CIAP funded monitoring of vegetation on some barrier island projects will be used to refine
vegetative sampling procedures proposed in the original 2003 BICM proposal document. These
vegetative sampling procedures will be conducted and analyzed to determine the added value of
vegetative sampling within the BICM program, and potential costs of full-scale implementation.
Once this analysis is completed, decisions will be made whether to incorporate this additional
BICM component as originally recommended.
The next BICM Program data collection will be initiated in 2013 beginning with updated
shoreline change and habitat analysis using the 2012 CRMS coastal photography recently
collected. Work plans and contracts are currently being finalized to repeat other data collection
activities along the coast over a four-year period, as well as expand collection to areas not
covered initially (Figure 14).
3.2 Monitoring of the Emergency Berms
In response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill which began on April 20, 2010, the State of
Louisiana constructed approximately 16 miles of sand berms along several sections of the State‟s
barrier islands both east and west of the Mississippi River. The objective of this project was to
provide a barrier to oil and minimize the potential impact of the oil spill to thousands of acres of
fragile barrier islands and wetlands in coastal Louisiana. These berms are man-made features,
were constructed for a specific purpose, as stated above, and are different geomorphologically
than native barrier islands. However, we gain significant insight into coastal processes which
effect barrier islands by monitoring their changes over time.
On May 27, 2010, a NOD‐20 emergency permit (MVN 2010‐1066‐ETT) was issued by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District (CEMVN). The emergency permit
allowed the construction of sand berms in specified areas or “reaches”. Specifically, reaches E3
and E4 to the east of the Mississippi River, and reaches W8, W9, W10, and W11 to the west of
the Mississippi River, were authorized for a total of approximately 38 miles of barrier berm.
These areas were identified by USACE staff as critical locations where greater immediate benefit
was likely to be achieved with minimal adverse disruption of the coastal environment. Only
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