OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

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

Parish Council & Boards — Tuesday, July 14, 2026
BodySt Charles Parish, Louisiana
SessionParish Council & Boards
DateTuesday, July 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 53:44

Transcript — Verbatim
0:28

So once again we call the July 14, 2026, Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting to order.

0:36

Um can we get a motion to approve the previous meeting's minutes?

0:42

Motion.

0:42

Motion by Mr.

0:43

Landry.

0:46

Second.

0:48

By Mr.

0:50

Lambert, excuse me.

0:52

All in favor?

0:54

Aye.

0:55

All opposed.

0:57

Please cast your vote digitally.

1:08

That passes unanimously.

1:10

Uh for the record.

1:11

Uh all committee members are in or present with the exception of Mr.

1:17

Giat and Miss Babin.

1:19

Um like to entertain a motion to deviate from the agenda on item number three, Davis Pond Advisory Committee semi-annual meeting update by President Matt Jewell.

1:29

We'd like to move that towards the ended agenda before announcements.

1:33

Can I get a motion to deviate from the current agenda?

1:37

Motion for Mr.

1:38

Lambert.

1:39

Second by Mr.

1:40

Martinez.

1:42

I'll please cast your verbal vote.

1:44

All in favor signify by saying aye.

1:48

Opposed, nay.

1:50

Please cast your digital vote.

1:56

And that motion carries unanimously.

1:59

Moving on to item four on the agenda, manager's briefing.

2:03

Mr.

2:04

Leday.

2:05

Thank you, Mr.

2:06

Chair.

2:06

Um, so we have a fairly short one this time.

2:09

So open JPAs.

2:10

We only have one for state concern that's open for public comment at this moment.

2:14

It is P20260519.

2:18

Uh Eustace is proposing geotechnical borings.

2:21

It's currently in review.

2:23

The proposed borings are for a new pipeline crossing to extend from the batcher near IMTT's facility in St.

2:29

Rose.

2:30

Approximately three cubic yards will be excavated and hauled off site.

2:35

And approximately three cubic yards of bentonite will fill the required area.

2:41

Um the current recommendation, it will most likely go into an NDSI due to just no significant impact due to the geotechnical boring, but again, it is a state concern, so they will give that final determination.

2:58

Any questions or comments from committee members?

3:02

Okay.

3:03

Being none, uh, we'll open up for public comment.

3:06

This is a public hearing on item P20260519.

3:12

Anyone wishing to speak on this item, please come forward, state your name and address.

3:23

Once again, this is a public hearing on item P 2026.

3:28

Anyone from the public wishing to come forward to speak on this item, please come forward, state your name and address.

3:37

Being none, the public hearing is closed.

3:40

Any uh discussion from any of the committee members.

3:46

Okay, we don't have to do any vote on this one.

3:49

We're good, right?

3:49

Correct.

3:50

Yes, sir.

3:50

Okay.

3:51

Thank you.

3:51

Moving on to the next item on the agenda, uh manager's briefing, uh local concerns.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████29%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████26%
Environmental Protection████████████████████████24%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

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

The St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee met on July 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered routine permit approvals, updates on coastal restoration projects, a resolution supporting waterway cleanup, discussions on Environmental Management Units (EMUs), and a detailed update on the Davis Pond freshwater diversion operations. All votes were unanimous except where noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Previous Meeting's Minutes: Motion by Mr. Landry, second by Mr. Lambert, passed unanimously.
  • Approval of Agenda Deviation: Motion to move the Davis Pond update to later in the agenda was seconded by Mr. Lambert and Mr. Martinez, passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Public Hearing on JPA P20260519 (Eustis geotechnical borings): Opened and closed with no public comments.

Discussion Items

  • Manager’s Briefing – Open JPAs: One state-concern JPA (P20260519) for geotechnical borings near IMTT in St. Rose, currently in review; anticipated No Direct or Significant Impact (NDSI) determination.
  • Determined Last Month’s JPAs:
    • P20260326 (MARS, Inc.): Withdrawn after additional information request.
    • P20260502 (Tregle) and P20260514 (Sigmon): Both unauthorized fill cases resolved via exemptions.
    • P20260500 (ADM): Maintenance dredging received NDSI.
    • P20260517 and P20260520 (Eustis): Geotechnical borings received NDSI.
    • P20260525 (GEC, Inc./Hahnville WWTP): Determined to require a coastal use permit.
  • Coastal Zone Activities Update: Five SHIELD program projects advanced past CPRA’s initial screening for the 2029 Coastal Master Plan:
    • LaBranche Marsh Creation (660 acres, $8.03M engineering/design)
    • Salvador Shoreline Protection (5.5 miles, riprap)
    • Bayou Couba Shoreline Protection (2.6 miles, riprap)
    • Tank Pond Shoreline Protection (2 miles, riprap)
    • Salvador Hydrological Restoration (dredging 16 miles of waterways) Discussion included the project timeline, CPRA review process, and the possibility of resubmission if feedback requires changes.
  • Resolution 2026-1 “Love Our Waterways Month”: Resolution read and unanimously adopted; a cleanup event is scheduled for September 26, 2026 at the Bonnet Carré Spillway from 9 AM to noon.
  • EMU 8 Discussion: Review of the West Bank community EMU; questions raised about including Paradis/Des Allemands. Manager confirmed EMUs can be revisited; the committee agreed to discuss all EMUs at the next meeting before voting on updates.
  • Introduction of EMU 10 (Paradis Mitigation Area) and EMU 9 (Bayou Gauche Community): These final two EMUs were presented; open for discussion at the next meeting.
  • Davis Pond Advisory Committee Update (President Matt Jewell):
    • A prism calculation showed Davis Pond at maximum flow (10,600 cfs) contributes only 3.5% of total water exchange in Barataria Basin; actual flows are lower due to guide levee settling.
    • Positive ecological impacts observed on Lake Cottawachi and surrounding marsh.
    • A brown shrimp study found no negative impact from Davis Pond; committee supports removing shrimp and oyster consultation periods from operations.
    • CPRA approved a $4 million engineering/design budget for the Salvador Shoreline Protection extension.
    • Discussion of a potential second diversion in the upper basin (Edgard area), possibly using a pump station or siphon to maintain freshwater flow.
    • Committee members emphasized the need for continuous freshwater flow to prevent saltwater intrusion and die-off of vegetation.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 2026-1: Adopted (5 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent).
  • EMU Review Plan: All EMUs (1–10) to be consolidated in the next meeting packet for a comprehensive discussion, with a potential vote on updates the following meeting.
  • Davis Pond Resolution: The committee agreed to draft a resolution supporting revised operations for Davis Pond, to be presented at the next Davis Pond Advisory Committee meeting and the St. Charles Parish Council.
  • Announcements: CPRA Board Meeting on July 15, 2026 in Thibodaux; DoCE LCP Training on July 22, 2026.
  • Adjournment: Motion by Mr. Martinez, second by Mr. Cole, passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

So once again we call the July 14, 2026, Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting to order. Um can we get a motion to approve the previous meeting's minutes? Motion. Motion by Mr. Landry. Second. By Mr. Lambert, excuse me. All in favor? Aye. All opposed. Please cast your vote digitally. That passes unanimously. Uh for the record. Uh all committee members are in or present with the exception of Mr. Giat and Miss Babin. Um like to entertain a motion to deviate from the agenda on item number three, Davis Pond Advisory Committee semi-annual meeting update by President Matt Jewell. We'd like to move that towards the ended agenda before announcements. Can I get a motion to deviate from the current agenda? Motion for Mr. Lambert. Second by Mr. Martinez. I'll please cast your verbal vote. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed, nay. Please cast your digital vote. And that motion carries unanimously. Moving on to item four on the agenda, manager's briefing. Mr. Leday. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, so we have a fairly short one this time. So open JPAs. We only have one for state concern that's open for public comment at this moment. It is P20260519. Uh Eustace is proposing geotechnical borings. It's currently in review. The proposed borings are for a new pipeline crossing to extend from the batcher near IMTT's facility in St. Rose. Approximately three cubic yards will be excavated and hauled off site. And approximately three cubic yards of bentonite will fill the required area. Um the current recommendation, it will most likely go into an NDSI due to just no significant impact due to the geotechnical boring, but again, it is a state concern, so they will give that final determination. Any questions or comments from committee members? Okay. Being none, uh, we'll open up for public comment. This is a public hearing on item P20260519. Anyone wishing to speak on this item, please come forward, state your name and address. Once again, this is a public hearing on item P 2026.

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