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Completion of Cameron Creole Freshwater Introduction in Cameron Parish Announced by CPRA

Published January 13, 2022

The Cameron Creole Freshwater Introduction project on the east side of Calcasieu Lake in Cameron Parish was completed on January 13, 2022, according to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). By improving hydrologic conditions in the Cameron-Creole Watershed, the project restored the function, value, and sustainability of 22,510 acres of marsh and open water.

Hurricanes, along with increased saltwater intrusion and decreased freshwater retention, have wreaked havoc on thousands of acres of marshland in Southwest Louisiana in recent years, causing substantial damage and reducing the marsh’s ability to recover without extensive restoration efforts. The Cameron Creole project boosted freshwater flow and restored favorable hydrologic conditions in the region by linking the area to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

In a press release, CPRA Chairman Chip Kline said “Southwest Louisiana is no stranger to the impacts of devastating hurricanes and coastal land loss…In completing the Cameron Creole project, we took an important step in undoing some of this damage and restoring the value and productivity of over 20,000 acres of our marshland.”

The project was a joint effort between CPRA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) with funding provided through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). The total cost of project construction was $9.4 million.

“The completion of this freshwater introduction project marks a successful reduction in salinity levels and an increase in marsh productivity for the entire Cameron-Creole Watershed,” CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase said. “These marshes would’ve continued to deteriorate without intervention and CPRA is happy to have undertaken the important task of reversing this trend in partnership with NRCS.”

The NRCS conducted the project engineering, while Tarpan Construction, LLC, a Louisiana-based company, completed the construction. The project’s final step, the debris screen installation, was finished in October 2021.

Laurie Cormier, Coastal Zone Manager of the Calcasieu Parish Policy Jury said “The restoration of 22,510 acres of marsh and open water will have benefits for years to come for SWLA, The stark difference between a dead and healthy marsh is vast. I had an opportunity to stand on a levee and witness on my right a thriving, healthy marsh filled with fish, alligators, birds, and vegetation, and on my left the devastation of a dead, open water marsh. It is an image that will never leave me. The Cameron Creole Freshwater Introduction project is a game-changer for the Chenier Plain of Coastal Louisiana. I am grateful to CPRA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for the successful completion of this much-needed project.”

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