St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee Meeting - October 13, 2026

The St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee (CZAC) met on October 13, 2026, in the Council Chambers at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville, Louisiana. All committee members were present except Mr. Giot. The agenda listed a 12:00 PM start, while the transcript opens with a 'good evening' call to order; the provided meeting timestamp is 2026-10-13 18:15:00+00:00. The committee approved the previous meeting's minutes, heard a cleanup-event report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, reviewed ten Joint Permit Applications, discussed coastal zone activities and the Davis Pond freshwater diversion, and received announcements.

Consent Calendar

• The committee approved the previous meeting's minutes unanimously, with a motion by Mr. Landry and a second by Mr. Martinez. No prior minutes were included in the source materials.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public testified. For the open ADM Joint Permit Application, the chair made two calls for public comment; no one came forward, and the public hearing was closed.

Love Our Waterways Report

• Austin Leray of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Love Our Waterways / National Public Lands Day event held in partnership with St. Charles Parish. Highlights: 88 volunteers; 175 bald cypress trees planted; approximately 1,000 pounds of trash collected in about 35 large contractor bags; four tires and one propane tank removed; and an estimated 6.5 miles of shoreline patrolled. Partners included Swamp School Wetland Watchers, Dow Chemical, Louisiana River Parishes, St. Charles Parish, LSU AgCenter master gardeners, and LSU Coastal Roots.
• Coastal Zone Manager Mr. Leday thanked the Corps for coordination, noted Councilman Pelier participated with his boat, and said the next event is planned for around the fourth-to-last Saturday of September, possibly alternating East Bank and West Bank locations. He added that Keep Louisiana Beautiful has designated the entire month of September as Love Our Waterways Month and that the parish is also expected to hold a Love the Boot event in April.
• Committee members praised the event and noted it provided environmental benefits, engagement, and awareness.

Manager's Briefing: Joint Permit Applications

• Open for public comment: P20260816 Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM). ADM proposes modifying its existing barge fleet area by cutting 21 existing anchors 3 feet below the mudline, installing 38 new monopiles to secure the previously permitted barge fleet, and dredging approximately 26,982 cubic yards for maintenance, with the dredged material placed back into the river beyond the -55 foot contour. The state's current recommendation is no direct or significant impact. During committee discussion, Mr. Leday explained the material is dredged from near the bank to reduce grounding risk and is redeposited into the river rather than used beneficially. No vote was needed.
• Determinations presented for the prior month's nine remaining JPAs, in numerical order:
  • P20240567 (state) Clovelly Oil Co. LLC - Coastal Use Permit (CUP). Phase three abandonment in place of a 16,988-foot existing 6-inch gas pipeline and removal of about 290 feet of line; earlier phases were permitted in 2024. Mitigation credits are associated with the CUP.
  • P20260443 (state) Entergy Louisiana - Exempt. Project involves Waterford 6 advanced power station connector transmission lines, barge dock, and heavy haul road.
  • P20260574 (state) Phillips 66 - CUP. Anomaly repair at three sites on an existing 6-inch pipeline (RV-47), accessed from an existing levee, limestone road, and pipeline right-of-way.
  • P20260634 (state) ONEOK, Inc. - CUP. No project details were discussed beyond the CUP determination.
  • P20260662 (state) Troy Engineering Services, LLC - Exempt. The Delta Access Pipeline Project would drill six 3-inch soil borings and two cone penetration tests up to 250 feet deep within 1,500 feet of the levee, using ATV-mounted rigs. Soil borings are an exempt activity; any future structure would require a new permit.
  • P20260677 (state) Bridgeline Holdings, LP - CUP. Temporary support under an existing 16-inch natural gas pipeline to reduce an unsupported span while a permanent repair is developed; previously handled under emergency action 26-017-01.
  • P20260706 (local) Jenny Lendle - Exempt. Request for determination for a potential buyer to build a primary residence in Des Allemands; the parcel is on fast land. No site plans have been submitted, and a future site plan and possible rezone may be required depending on development.
  • P20260707 (state) Entergy - CUP. After-the-fact Emergency Use Authorization 26-018 for repairs to the electrical transmission system following Tropical Storm Arthur.
  • P20260783 (local) River Bend Properties - CUP. Request for determination for a future potential buyer; the current owner does not plan to develop. Because it was an RFD, the parish could only exempt it or require a CUP. The applicant was told the area is upland and that no mitigation is expected, but any site changes would require a new permit.

Recent Coastal Zone Activities and Davis Pond Discussion

• Mr. Leday reported that updated EMUs and additional portions of the Local Coastal Program are being compiled for the Natural Floodplain Function Plan to earn Community Rating System credits and potentially reduce flood insurance costs. The section is worth 100 points, and every 500 points moves the parish down another CRS level; the aim is to achieve 20% of the next level improvement.
• The Salvador shoreline contract with Royal Engineering remains in data-gap analysis, including water-level data, regional wind statistics, wave and shoreline modeling, NOAA and USGS topographic/bathymetric data, previous project reports, geotechnical information, and cultural and environmental resources. The data may be provided to the parish GIS department.
• Committee members discussed the Davis Pond freshwater diversion. A committee member cited a UNO study indicating that even at full operation, the diversion contributed about 3% of the water entering the basin and had no effect on salinity at the CRMS monitoring sites (transcribed as 'crime sites'). The member expressed concern that the parish may have been operating the diversion incorrectly for 20 years and wanted to press the Corps before the November/December operational plan meetings.
• The committee requested that Mr. Leday contact Corps representatives Danielle Rasharty and John Troutman, obtain preliminary information about the proposed operations plan, and provide an update before the next meeting. The committee also noted the diversion is about 50% through its planned lifetime and that a midlife review of the original project promises is appropriate.
• Mr. Landry asked for a Corps timeline on repair and raising of the guide levees around Davis Pond. Mr. Leday said October had been the target and committed to following up. Seepage and settlement in the guide levees had previously limited the diversion's full-capacity operation.

Announcements

• CWPPRA stakeholder meeting: October 20.
• CPRA Southwest Coastal Summit: October 27 in Lake Charles.
• Election Day: November 3.
• Mr. Leday said he planned to attend the October 20 and October 27 meetings. CPRA regional planning meetings related to the 2029 master plan may be scheduled later.

Key Outcomes

• Previous meeting's minutes approved unanimously.
• Public hearing on the ADM JPA closed with no public comments; no committee vote was required.
• All prior-month JPA determinations were presented for information; no formal vote was taken.
• The committee directed Mr. Leday to seek advance information from the Corps on the Davis Pond operations plan and guide levee repair timeline and to report back before the next meeting.
• Meeting adjourned unanimously following a motion by Mr. Landry and a second by Mr. Cult.