St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting - April 14, 2026

The St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee met on April 14, 2026, at 12:00 PM (note: the meeting took place at 18:00 UTC, corresponding to 1:00 PM CDT, per the provided metadata) in the Council Chambers of the Courthouse in Hahnville, Louisiana. The meeting covered a range of coastal zone management items, including review of joint permit applications, discussion of Ecological Management Units (EMUs), a recap of Coastal Day, and announcements on diversions and upcoming events. Committee members Rome, Landry, Babin, Martinez, and Lambert were present; Giat and Culp were absent.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of previous meeting minutes: Motion by Landry, second by Martinez, passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public spoke during any of the public hearings held for each Joint Permit Application (JPA). No other public comments were offered.

Discussion Items

• Manager’s Briefing on Joint Permit Applications (JPAs): Coastal Zone Manager Mr. Leday reported that 12 JPAs were received in the past month. Ten are pending as state concerns, open for public comment, and one is a local concern. Each was presented with a public hearing.
  • State Concerns (Exemptions):
    • P20260152 – BKV Corporation: Exemption for 21 soil borings and 3 cone penetration tests for pipeline design; no public comments.
    • P20260169 – Shell: Exemption to demolish and replace 26 timber pipe rack pilings with helical steel piles at an existing facility; no public comments.
    • P20260254 – Phillips 66: Exemption for pipeline repair on an existing 14-inch line (excavation of 113 cubic yards); no public comments.
  • State Concerns (No Direct or Significant Impact – NDSI):
    • P20260191 – GIS Engineering: NDSI for two cone penetration tests and three soil borings on a property site.
    • P20260258 – Shell: NDSI to install a cathodic protection deep well anode on the Norco-Avondale lines (excavation of 19 cubic yards).
  • State Concerns (Coastal Use Permits – CUP):
    • P20260228 – SCP Public Works: 5-year CUP for vegetative debris removal from canals west of CC Road; 11,952 cubic yards over five years for drainage and storm protection. Committee member Martinez asked if permits are multi-year; Mr. Leday confirmed five-year maximum. Discussion on whether work is done internally or bid out; Mr. Leday said internal but would verify.
    • P20260234 – SCP Public Works: 5-year CUP to clean and rake the Schexnayder discharge canal annually (vegetation debris only, no dredging).
    • P20260242 – SCP Public Works: 5-year CUP to clear debris from the east and west canal north of BNSF tracks to the major sellers canal outfall.
    • P20260245 – SCP Public Works: 5-year CUP for the cotton canal (8,952 cubic yards cleared over five years). Committee member Landry confirmed that permits cover the full length of named canals, not just short sections.
    • P20260252 – SCP Public Works: 5-year CUP to clean and rake the Cortez Canal annually.
  • Local Concern (Coastal Use Permit):
    • P20260073 – Karvon Mitchell: CUP for filling swamp land with recycled concrete and sand for future residential use on East Harding. Processing is on hold while applicant works with planners; a 25-day comment period is opened.
• EMUs 7 and 11 Discussion: This was a continuation from the March 10 meeting. EMU 7 (LaBranch Wetlands): Mr. Leday reported that two freshwater siphons from the Bonnet Carré Spillway have been proposed in the CPRA master plan 29 (one north into the land bridge, one south into Bayou LaBranch). The committee expressed support and asked about next steps. Mr. Leday noted that a second solicitation period is upcoming; a regional work group including CPRA, Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Army Corps has discussed the proposals, and the parish voted in support. Lambert inquired about flow rates; a 10,000 cfs proposal was mentioned, but the committee suggested a smaller siphon might be more appropriate given the spillway’s infrequent use. EMU 11 (Alamans Wetlands) discussion: Martinez asked about success factors for second-growth cypress swamps in this EMU; Mr. Leday committed to researching prior work and providing a report.
• Introduction of EMUs 2, 3, and 4: The committee introduced EMU 2 (Norco Wetlands), EMU 3 (East Laplace Wetlands), and EMU 4 (Bonnet Carre Spillway). These will be discussed further at the next meeting. Lambert raised a question about revegetation after levee work; Mr. Leday explained typical processes involving soil settling and reseeding. No decisions were made.
• Coastal Day Recap: Committee members Rome, Landry, Martinez, and Leday attended Coastal Day. Governor Landry gave a speech and signed documents regarding new Army Corps leadership. A networking event involved organizations like Pontchartrain Conservancy and CPRA. The $1.52 billion currently in progress for coastal restoration across Louisiana was highlighted as the highest level of activity ever. Mr. Landry expressed strong support for the ongoing work, stating it is the most he has seen in 53 years. Mr. Martinez emphasized the importance of St. Charles Parish having a presence to build contacts. Mr. Rome noted connections made, specifically with Mark Shekstein regarding the LaBranch Wetlands siphon project, which could lead to future presentations.
• Announcements:
  • Davis Pond diversion is currently running 5,000 cfs. Mr. Landry urged committee members and the public to call state officials (Secretary of Wildlife and Fisheries Tyler Bosworth, Tommy Toomer, Fisheries Director Patrick Banks) to maintain at least 4,000 cfs despite pressure from commercial fishermen to reduce the flow during brown shrimp season. He stressed the need to keep saltwater at bay to restore the upper estuary.
  • Mr. Landry expressed skepticism about the science behind some large projects, noting that the Mid-Barataria and Breton diversions were canceled after $600 million was already spent, calling it “smoke and mirrors.” Mr. Leday clarified that the canceled funds are being reallocated to multiple smaller projects and emphasized a desire for science-based projects.
  • CWPPRA Technical Committee held a meeting on April 9; CPRA Board Meeting scheduled for April 15.
  • The semi-annual Davis Pond and Caernarvon diversion meetings will be held June 23-24 in the Parish’s Professional Learning Center.
  • Trash Bash is this Saturday; a fall waterway cleanup coordinated by Keep Louisiana Beautiful is also in planning.
  • Fish Stat Rodeo on May 9; registration is open.

Key Outcomes

• The previous meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
• No votes were taken on the JPAs; they were presented with recommendations and public hearings closed. The committee received information and asked clarifying questions.
• The committee will further discuss EMUs 2, 3, and 4 at the next meeting, and staff will prepare a report on the success of cypress swamps in EMU 11 and the bidding process for canal work.
• The committee agreed to continue advocating for freshwater siphons at the Bonnet Carre spillway and to attend the upcoming Davis Pond advisory meeting.
• Meeting adjourned at approximately 1:00 PM (motion by Martinez, second by Lambert, unanimous).