OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting - December 9, 2025

Parish Council & Boards — Tuesday, December 9, 2025
BodySt Charles Parish, Louisiana
SessionParish Council & Boards
DateTuesday, December 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

There it is.

0:04

Good afternoon.

0:05

Call the December 9th meeting of the Coastal Zone Advisory Committee for St.

0:09

Charles Parish to order.

0:11

Please stand for a moment of silent meditation, followed by the pledge.

0:23

Pledge allegiance.

0:30

One nation under God.

0:32

Individual liberty of justice for all.

0:39

Okay, to start the meeting today, I'd like to entertain a motion to accept the November 21st Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting minutes.

0:47

Can we get a motion?

0:52

I make the motion accept them.

0:54

Second.

0:56

Motion by Mr.

0:57

Landry.

0:58

Second by Mr.

0:59

Landry.

1:00

Mr.

1:01

Lambert and Landry, sorry.

1:03

Please cash a vote.

1:13

That motion carries unanimously.

1:16

Second item on the agenda 2.1, path of a project and funding, a presentation from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority by Mr.

1:25

Ryan Lazina.

1:26

Mr.

1:27

Lazina, we appreciate you being here.

1:28

The floor is yours.

1:32

Thank you, Chairman.

1:33

As was mentioned, I'm Brian Lazina.

1:35

I represent the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

1:39

A little bit about what I do.

1:40

I currently serve as the administrator for planning and research.

1:43

And so that's one of the divisions within the agency.

2:12

So large civil works projects.

2:14

So basically, if you went to the CPRA building on the first floor, that's us right there.

2:19

Quite literally, figuratively on the first floor.

2:22

So we're kind of where everything gets kicked off within CPRA.

2:25

And so what I wanted to do today was go over a few items.

2:45

On there, we won't go all the way to construction, but exactly how we kind of kind of get these things going.

2:51

So if you're not familiar with uh CPRA and real fast, you can see where the single state entity with a third authority to articulate a clear statement of priorities to achieve that coastal comprehensive uh protection or restoration program.

3:05

And we really do that through the state's coastal master plan.

3:08

So we develop, implement, and enforce that.

3:11

Um the goals of the plan are pretty simple.

3:13

It's to reduce land loss, try and make a sustainable Louisiana, and then of course reduce risk for the citizens that that live across the uh the coast of uh Louisiana and coastal Louisiana.

3:25

Now, under that we do have several objectives.

3:27

You can see, although it's smaller on the screen is flood protection.

3:30

That's primarily storm surge flood protection.

3:34

Uh restoration of natural processes where we can, because nobody can do it better or cheaper than Mother Nature.

3:40

Uh coastal habitats, we protect cultural resources.

3:44

Uh I know a few of you.

3:46

I know uh where you make your living, how you you do things along the coast.

3:50

Myself uh is a coastal resident and grew up there, and those things are incredibly important that make coastal Louisiana, Coastal Louisiana.

3:58

Uh but we also have a working coast, and that's important to uh CPRA as well.

4:02

It's not just uh sitting there for sitting there's sake that we can have a balance between uh the economic driver that is coastal Louisiana and then what we all know and love as the resources of coastal Louisiana.

4:15

So we get a lot about what the master plan is and and what it isn't, and you can see that it is a uh living plan to preserve what I mentioned that history culture, ecosystems, natural resources.

4:28

Uh we do that through uh a robust suite of restoration and risk reduction projects to provide coastwide benefits.

4:35

Uh we want to make sure also though that we're informing the public so that they can make their own individual decisions in what they want to do in their future and and and uh about coastal Louisiana.

4:46

So that's land loss, storm surge-based flood risk, uh those kinds of associated challenges today, and then what that might look like going into the future.

5:02

But what we really wanted to do is be effective in informing the individual that lives there, and that's something we really really take a lot of pride in and take a lot of effort in in doing.

5:14

What it is not, it's not a direct source for funding.

5:17

So you'll hear $50 billion plan a whole lot.

5:19

We don't have $50 million in the bank.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Coastal Restoration█████████████████████████████████████████████56%
Procedural██████████13%
Environmental Protection██████████13%
Public Engagement█████████11%
Budget Equity Analysis████5%
Data Center Regulation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting - December 9, 2025

The Coastal Zone Advisory Committee met on December 9, 2025, at 12:00 PM in the Council Chambers of the St. Charles Parish Courthouse. The meeting included a presentation from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), a manager's briefing on recent permit applications and the Christmas tree recycling program, introduction of new committee rules, and discussion of the upcoming Davis Pond Advisory Committee (DPAC) meeting. The committee approved the previous meeting minutes and accepted the introduction of new rules.

Consent Calendar

  • The committee unanimously approved the November 21, 2025 Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting minutes. Motion by Mr. Lambert, second by Mr. Landry, carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Clyde Maddox (112 Carries Point West, Zalmans) spoke in support of comments by Captain Lambert regarding the Davis Pond diversion. He argued that the diversion's salinity management destroys aquatic vegetation and the entire ecosystem, and that recovery takes years once the system is damaged. He urged the committee to reconsider the diversion's operation.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation by CPRA – Path of a Project and Funding: Ryan Lazina, CPRA Administrator for Planning and Research, presented an overview of CPRA's mission, funding sources, and project lifecycle. He explained the state's Coastal Master Plan (2023 and upcoming 2029), funding mechanisms including QRPRA (CWPPRA), GOMESA, NERDA, and RESTORE, and the annual planning process. He emphasized that the master plan is not a prioritized ranking and that projects are selected based on available funding. Lazina also discussed monitoring and adaptive management of completed projects.
  • Committee Questions: Captain Lambert questioned the six-year master plan cycle, suggesting a continuous plan; Lazina responded that state law requires the six-year cycle but CPRA is exploring flexibility after events like Hurricane Ida. Committee members Landry and another member asked about project evaluation and monitoring; Lazina confirmed that all projects are monitored and data is used to adapt future plans. A question about funding percentages of 2023 plan projects was asked; Lazina noted not all are funded but could not provide a specific percentage.
  • Manager’s Briefing – Mr. LeBay:
    • One local joint permit application was received: SCP-2025-07 for JBreaux Enterprises (new subdivision off Joe Lewis Lane in Hahnville, wholly on lands five feet or greater above mean sea level) – determined exempt.
    • One state concern JPA open for public comment: P20250902 Shell Pipeline – placement of temporary wooden mats for a temporary flare on the Norco-Avondale propylene line, affecting 0.06 acres, no excavation. Recommendation: CUP, still open.
    • Update on Christmas tree recycling program: A new site on the north side of Cuba Island has been identified with help from LDWF. The project will be done in phases (pens 1-3 east, pens 4-5 west if needed). An 8-foot gap will be left for recreational use. A JPA is in progress. Outreach materials for K-3 students are ready with QR codes. Pickup dates: January 5-7, 2025 (set out Jan. 4). Six drop-off locations.
  • Resolution Adopting Rules for Committee (2025-5-CZAC): Mr. LeBay introduced the proposed rules, highlighting gray areas: meeting time limit (12:00 PM to 2:00 PM) and the ability to limit public speaker time (3-5 minutes). The committee discussed not making changes at this time and accepted the introduction. Motion by Miss Babin, second by Mr. Lambert, carried unanimously. Further discussion to occur at a later meeting.
  • DPAC Discussion and Recommendations: Mr. LeBay presented salinity monitor data from USGS stations at Betoegree (5 ppt isohaline goal) and Grand Terre (15 ppt goal) for the Davis Pond diversion. Data from the February-March 2025 pulsing period showed salinities at Grand Terre reached 15 ppt and occasionally fell below, with averages above 15 ppt for the year. He noted the 5 and 15 ppt isohaline goals were set by a committee in the mid-to-late 2000s and are not based on historical data. Committee member Captain Lambert expressed strong opposition to the current parameters, stating they are killing the northern estuary (loss of aquatic vegetation, bass, ducks, bait shops) and that the diversion benefits only shrimp and oysters while harming other users. He called for changing parameters to 10-3 ppt or similar. Mr. LeBay agreed that the isohalines may be outdated and suggested the SHIELD program (feasibility study of Davis Pond) could be used to reevaluate them. Mr. Albert recommended drafting a formal resolution to present at the next DPAC meeting. The committee agreed to work on a resolution and consider local salinity monitoring at key locations. Mr. LeBay also noted that Davis Pond cannot backflow when the Mississippi River is low, limiting operations.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee approved the November minutes and accepted the introduction of new committee rules.
  • The committee will work with staff (Clay and Mr. LeBay) to draft a resolution for DPAC regarding reevaluating salinity isohaline goals and consider local monitoring. This resolution will be brought back for a vote at a future meeting.
  • The committee discussed using the SHIELD program and environmental management units (EMUs) from the local coastal program to reassess goals for the Davis Pond area.
  • Announcements: Davis Pond Advisory Committee meeting on December 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM (Flood Protection Authority – East, New Orleans); CPRA Board meeting on December 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM (State Capitol, Baton Rouge, live-streamed).
  • Meeting adjourned unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

There it is. Good afternoon. Call the December 9th meeting of the Coastal Zone Advisory Committee for St. Charles Parish to order. Please stand for a moment of silent meditation, followed by the pledge. Pledge allegiance. One nation under God. Individual liberty of justice for all. Okay, to start the meeting today, I'd like to entertain a motion to accept the November 21st Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting minutes. Can we get a motion? I make the motion accept them. Second. Motion by Mr. Landry. Second by Mr. Landry. Mr. Lambert and Landry, sorry. Please cash a vote. That motion carries unanimously. Second item on the agenda 2.1, path of a project and funding, a presentation from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority by Mr. Ryan Lazina. Mr. Lazina, we appreciate you being here. The floor is yours. Thank you, Chairman. As was mentioned, I'm Brian Lazina. I represent the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. A little bit about what I do. I currently serve as the administrator for planning and research. And so that's one of the divisions within the agency. So large civil works projects. So basically, if you went to the CPRA building on the first floor, that's us right there. Quite literally, figuratively on the first floor. So we're kind of where everything gets kicked off within CPRA. And so what I wanted to do today was go over a few items. On there, we won't go all the way to construction, but exactly how we kind of kind of get these things going. So if you're not familiar with uh CPRA and real fast, you can see where the single state entity with a third authority to articulate a clear statement of priorities to achieve that coastal comprehensive uh protection or restoration program. And we really do that through the state's coastal master plan. So we develop, implement, and enforce that. Um the goals of the plan are pretty simple. It's to reduce land loss, try and make a sustainable Louisiana, and then of course reduce risk for the citizens that that live across the uh the coast of uh Louisiana and coastal Louisiana. Now, under that we do have several objectives. You can see, although it's smaller on the screen is flood protection. That's primarily storm surge flood protection. Uh restoration of natural processes where we can, because nobody can do it better or cheaper than Mother Nature. Uh coastal habitats, we protect cultural resources. Uh I know a few of you. I know uh where you make your living, how you you do things along the coast. Myself uh is a coastal resident and grew up there, and those things are incredibly important that make coastal Louisiana, Coastal Louisiana.

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