Published: Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 4:35 p.m. Last Modified: Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 4:35 p.m.

A construction project on Bayou Lafourche will be postponed this year as the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority faces budget cuts.

A plan to build a saltwater control structure on Bayou Lafourche in Larose, a $4.5 million project, will be shelved until the state can come up with money for it, said Kyle Graham, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority director.

We are committed to getting the permitting done and well seek construction dollars through one of our programs and or future dollars as funding is available, Graham said. I wouldnt anticipate it being more than a year. Were committed to finding it a home either in the future with trust fund dollars or through one of these programs like Restore or others that are coming online.

The project, in engineering and design phases, is planned to halt salt water from making its way up the bayou in low water years, which can mix with freshwater used as a drinking source.

We are deeply disappointed to hear the news from CPRA about the saltwater control structure being cut due to state budget constraints, Archie Chaisson, Lafourche Parish administrator, said in an email. This is a project we have worked on for several years. We have been assured by CPRA executives that as funding becomes available this project will be a top priority since its shovel ready.

The restoration authority is prepping for a potential $2.2 million cut in the 2016 fiscal budget, though those numbers are subject to change as the numbers are finalized.

Graham said his agencys operations are paid for through mineral revenues, and added hes anticipating $2 million to $3 million less than has been historically available due to low oil prices. Meaning there could be potentially more than $5 million less from the agencys budget.

Ancillary programs such as the restoration partnership program and the coastal innovation program, which can work to help private land owners, will be on hold, Graham said.

Also to be put on the back burner is money for levee districts, though Graham said those dollars mostly go to new ones. The cuts wouldnt affect the districts in Terrebonne or Lafourche parishes, Graham said.

Here is the original post:
State budget cuts halting Lafourche project

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