The State of Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has officially terminated the Mid-Barataria sediment diversion project, which was originally approved for funding in 2023.
The CPRA determined that the large-scale restoration project was no longer viable due to multiple factors, including costs, permitting concerns, and ongoing litigation. As part of the termination, the project's authorized budget has been reduced from $2.26 billion to $618.52 million to reflect funds that have already been disbursed.
The project was designed to reconnect the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin to rebuild marshes in Plaquemines Parish. The agency is now pivoting to reinstate a different project, the Louisiana coastal area medium diversion at Myrtle Grove with dedicated dredging, which it stated offers similar restoration benefits.
CPRA Chairman Gordon Dove described the decision to terminate the Mid-Barataria project as difficult but said the agency's commitment to coastal restoration has not wavered. Unused funds from the original project will be available for future Deepwater Horizon restoration activities.