CPRA presents draft FY2026 annual plan and implementation update; public comment open through March 22

Glenn (executive director, CPRA) presented the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s implementation update and the draft FY2026 annual plan at the authority’s January 2025 meeting, saying the plan starts a public comment period and outlines project and budget priorities for the coming fiscal year.

The draft annual plan lays out that CPRA expects to manage roughly 133 projects over the fiscal year and typically present more than 100 active projects at a time. The presentation listed 106 active projects at the time of the meeting, with 38 in construction, 64 in engineering and design, and four in planning. The department reported that five projects moved to final completion since the fall and that two new efforts entered engineering and design.

CPRA staff emphasized several projects highlighted in the update. Projects described as starting or moving toward construction include: Mid Breton land-bridge marsh creation and terracing (Plaquemines/Saint Bernard parishes), Bayoucane marsh creation (final design; estimated cost about $31 million), Bayou La Lucha ridge restoration and marsh creation (construction underway; prime contractor US Aqua Services LLC; estimated cost roughly $35 million), the Manshack land-bridge shoreline protection project (completed in November 2024; cost just over $10 million), the Sugar Ridge pump station in Lafourche Parish (under construction; estimated cost about $5 million), and the Bayou Pigeon boat launch (construction began; cost just under $3 million). CPRA also noted the river reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp — a large diversion the agency is treating as a keystone project — and said that project is under way following a recent groundbreaking.

Glenn described regional programs and large multi-feature efforts that will span multiple fiscal years, including Southwest Coastal (shoreline protection and nonstructural home-elevation work), the Calcasieu-Sabine large-scale marsh and hydrologic restoration program, Upper Barataria Basin coastal storm risk management features, and a set of regional "land-bridge" initiatives in Breton Sound and Barataria basins. He said CPRA will continue interim and nonfederal work with parish levee districts while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers advances federal studies and project components.

On finances, the presentation listed total revenue available in FY2026 planning at roughly $1.08 billion and illustrated that CPRA intends a heavy share of available funds to support construction. The board materials projected construction would be the largest single category of spending; presenters reported construction as about 80% of the program. The presentation included an inconsistent graphic that also listed a construction-dollar figure of $1.44 billion (a larger amount than the stated $1.08 billion of revenues shown); CPRA staff said they would reconcile and clarify those materials before the plan is finalized.

CPRA announced the public outreach schedule for the draft plan. Public meetings and comment opportunities include in-person hearings beginning Jan. 28 in Lake Charles, Jan. 30 in Houma, Feb. 11 in Jefferson Parish, and a virtual meeting on Feb. 12. The formal public comment period closes March 22; CPRA will present a final plan to the CPRA board on April 16 and will then transmit the final plan to the state legislature.

CPRA also said it will continue the agency’s regular interagency processes (for example, the annual operating plans for the Davis Pond and Caernarvon freshwater diversions), and it asked board members and the public to review the plan materials at ap26.coastal.la.gov and submit feedback by March 22.

The presentation closed with a calendar of events and several ongoing initiatives CPRA said will continue to feature in annual plans and implementation updates, including the coastal technical assistance and contractor outreach program (CTAC), workforce education events, and the congressional fly‑in for coastal advocacy planned for March 25–26.

CPRA invited questions from board members at the end of the presentation and said staff will supply follow-up details requested during the meeting (for example, categories that appear in board materials as “other” among active projects).