St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting – September 8, 2026
St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting – September 8, 2026
The St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee (CZAC) convened on September 8, 2026, at 12:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered updates to the Lake Salvador Shoreline Protection Project, several Joint Permit Applications (JPAs), extensive revisions to Environmental Management Unit (EMU) goals and objectives, and the expansion of three lake-area EMUs. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Previous Meeting’s Minutes: Motion by Landry, second by Giot; passed unanimously.
- Motion to Deviate from Agenda: Moved Item 3 (Salvador Shoreline Update) to later in the agenda. Motion by Martinez, second by Babin; passed unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were offered during the public hearings for the two Joint Permit Applications (P20260662 and P20260677) or any other agenda item.
Discussion Items
- Manager’s Briefing – JPA Updates (Mr. Leday):
- P20260662 (STATE) Troy Engineering Services, LLC: Proposal to drill six 3-inch soil borings and two CPTs up to 250 feet. Staff recommended an exemption because the activity occurs above 5 feet elevation and boring is exempt. No public comment; hearing closed.
- P20260677 (STATE) Bridgeline Holdings, LP: Temporary support measures under a 16-inch natural gas pipeline to reduce unsupported span. The project received emergency authorization on July 15 and a coastal use permit was granted on September 1. Staff recommendation: NDSI (No Development, Significant Impact). Committee discussed the pipeline’s location near a control structure and canal. No public comment; hearing closed.
- Last Month’s JPA Determinations:
- P20260619 (STATE) Entergy Louisiana LLC: Removal of 5 wooden poles and installation of 7 new poles along CC Road. Determination: NDSI (not exempt due to access area).
- P20260312 (STATE) St. Charles Parish Public Works: General maintenance of perimeter canals in Willowdale Subdivision. Determination: Coastal Use Permit (CUP) because the dredging activity is considered separate from routine maintenance. Discussion confirmed the targeted canal and that no mitigation costs are assessed pending habitat assessment.
- Update on Recent Coastal Zone Activities (Mr. Leday):
- The second solicitation period for CPRA Master Plan 29 has begun. Two St. Charles Parish projects—LaBranch Marsh Creation and the Lake Salvador Shoreline Protection Project—were accepted as candidate projects and move forward. The remaining small projects (Bayo Cuba shoreline, Cuba Island shoreline, Tank Pond shoreline, Salvador Hydrological Restoration) were grouped into one larger project due to scope. A meeting with CPRA later that afternoon would discuss next steps.
- Salvador Shoreline Update (Chandler Malley, Royal Engineering):
- The project is currently in the data gap analysis phase (building foundation for surveying, geotechnical work, and conceptual design). Goals: optimize resources, understand erosion drivers (wind, water data). Completion of this phase by mid-October 2026; design complete by July 2028. Committee asked about using lessons from prior projects; Mr. Malley confirmed numerical modeling and subsidence observations will be incorporated. No physical test site—modeling and analysis used.
- EMU Goals and Objectives Updates (Mr. Leday):
- Reviewed proposed changes to EMU 3 through 14. Only EMUs with proposed modifications were presented. All additions/changes were highlighted in yellow in the committee packet. Key changes included:
- EMU 3 (East Laplace wetlands): Add Goal 5 to preserve and enhance remaining wetlands for drainage and flood storage.
- EMU 4 (Bonnet Carré Floodway): Add Goal 3 to maintain floodway’s natural functions.
- EMU 5 (New Sarpe Swamp): Replace Goal 6 with wording oriented toward maintaining natural sump areas.
- EMU 6 (Ormond Swamp): Remove Goals 4 and 6, consolidate into a single new goal on maintaining natural drainage and sump areas.
- EMU 8: Add Goal 13 on protecting and encouraging maintenance of natural drainage and wetlands.
- EMU 9 and 10: Add Goal 6 on protecting wetlands and natural drainage.
- EMU 11 (Alman Wetlands): Add Goal 4 on protecting wetland habitat and hydrological functions while allowing compatible uses.
- EMU 12 (Salvador WMA): Replace Goal 3 (which focused on funding shoreline stabilization) with broader goal supporting coastal restoration and resilience.
- EMU 13 (Cuba Island/Timken WMA): Add Goal 3 encouraging restoration projects that reduce erosion, restore habitat, and improve resilience.
- EMU 14 (Davis Management Unit): Add Goal 6 on protecting wetlands and hydrological functions related to freshwater diversion operations.
- Committee discussed enforcement mechanisms (coastal use permitting, zoning, code enforcement) and the relationship with the parish’s SHIELD plan.
- Reviewed proposed changes to EMU 3 through 14. Only EMUs with proposed modifications were presented. All additions/changes were highlighted in yellow in the committee packet. Key changes included:
- EMU 15, 16, and 17 Expansion (Mr. Leday):
- These three lake EMUs had been placeholders in the 2017 plan; the committee considered fully fleshed-out descriptions and goals.
- EMU 15 (Lake Pontchartrain): Goals include protect wetland habitats, minimize erosion, encourage nature-based solutions, preserve hydrologic connectivity with LaBranche wetlands, limit development to water-dependent uses, maintain flood storage, and incorporate SHIELD priority projects.
- EMU 16 (Lake Cataouatche): Similar goals with emphasis on connectivity within Barataria Basin, nature-based solutions, and flood storage.
- EMU 17 (Lake Salvador): Additional goals on monitoring water quality and coordinated restoration initiatives.
- These three lake EMUs had been placeholders in the 2017 plan; the committee considered fully fleshed-out descriptions and goals.
- Resolution 2026-2-RES-CZAC: Ms. Babin read the resolution supporting the updated EMU descriptions and goal changes. Motion by Landry, second by Giat; passed unanimously.
- Announcements:
- CWPPRA Technical Committee Meeting: September 10, Baton Rouge (livestream available).
- St. Charles Parish Household Hazardous Materials Collection: September 12 (9 AM–1 PM) at two locations – St. Charles Parish Community Center (274 Judge Edward Dufren Parkway, Luling) and St. John the Baptist Parish Community Center (2900 US 51, La Place). Proof of residency required.
- Cleanup at Bonnet Carré Spillway/Wetland Watchers Park: September 26, meeting at north boat launch near Norco (8:30–9 AM), cleanup until 11:30 AM. Joint event with Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Dow, and Army Corps.
- LCP Training for coastal zone managers: September 30, online.
- CWPPRA Task Force Meeting: October 8 at Army Corps office in New Orleans.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approval of previous meeting minutes and motion to deviate agenda.
- No objections to the two JPAs (P20260662 exempt recommendation stands; P20260677 coastal use permit already issued).
- Resolution 2026-2-RES-CZAC passed unanimously: adopted the updated goals and objectives for EMUs 3–14 and the full descriptions of lake EMUs 15–17.
- Next steps: Data gap analysis for Lake Salvador Shoreline Project to be completed by mid-October 2026; design by July 2028.
- CPRA process: Two projects (LaBranch Marsh Creation and Salvador Shoreline) advanced as candidate projects for Master Plan 29; remaining projects grouped into one larger proposal.
- Meeting adjourned by motion (Babin, second by Culp) unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I call the September 8th, 2026, Coastal Zone Advisory Committee meeting to order. Please rise for a moment of silent meditation followed by the pledge. A pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Which is standing. Undergide. Indivisible. Okay. We'll go to the agenda. First, if we can get approval of the previous meeting's minutes, can we get a motion to approve? Motion. Motion by Landry. Second by Giot. Please cast your vote. And that motion passes unanimously. Please let the records show that we have Rome Landry, Babbing, Giat, Martinez, and Culp in attendance with Mr. Lambert being absent. On to the next item of the agenda. Salvador Shoreline Udate from Royal Engineering. Mr. Leday. Yes, sir. Currently, not sure if the project manager is delayed or not. So I would like to make a motion to delay, drop that down to the end of the agenda, and then we can revisit it if he does not show up. Okay, thank you. Do we need to entertain a motion for that, or we can just move it down? I think we still have to do a motion. Motion second vote. Can we do a motion to deviate from the agenda and move item number three towards the end of the agenda? Can I get a motion on that? Motion by Martinez. Second by Miss Babin. Any discussion. Being none, please cast your vote. And that motion passes unanimously. Okay. Item four, managers briefing, Mr. Leday. Yes, sir. We have two JPAs that are currently open for public comment, and both of them are state concerns. The first one that we have is P20260662. State concern for Troy Engineering Services. It is a proposal to drill six three-inch diameter soil borings and two CPTs to a depth of up to 250 feet within 1500 feet of the levy toes within the jurisdiction of the Panja Train Levy District and the Fuche Levy Basin Levy Districts using ATV mounted drilling rigs and CPT track rigs. Upon completion, the soil borings will be backfilled to a depth to full depth with about seven cubic yards with also a cement bentonite grout mixture, also seven cubic yards in accordance with Louisiana State's water well regulations. The current recommendation by this department is that is an exemption due to the fact that it is occurring on an area greater than five feet in elevation. Additionally, soil barings borings are considered an exempted activity. And am I seeing correctly that this project is exempt from the We're recommending exemption. No objection, exemption. Yeah. Kind of follows suit.
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