EPA awards LA Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority $360,000 for wetlands

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Thursday that the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana will receive a $362,213 grant for a project to create and support over 600 acres of wetlands off Lake Borgne, in Shell Beach.

The project falls under the purview of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, and the grant money will help in its design.

Marshes are keenly important to aquatic environments, providing a number of benefits like the prevention of flooding and the filtering of stormwater runoff, limiting the amount of pollution allowed to enter the ecosystem. They are also important as a habitat for fish and wildlife.

These wetlands are even more important to Louisiana, as the state is fighting erosion that is causing the loss of large portions of the coastline. This particular project will help prevent the erosion of land between Lake Borgne and the Mississippi River, which empties into the Gulf of Mexico in that area. The project seeks to create 346 acres and nourish 288 acres of marsh.