Louisiana plan projects at least $340 million for river diversions

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Louisiana’s coastal-restoration plan projects at least $340 million in spending across five Mississippi River diversion projects over the coming years, even after the state ended its much larger Mid-Barataria project. The estimate was reported by Verite News on Oct. 17, 2026, based on its review of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority budget documents.

The plan covers projected expenditures for fiscal years 2027 through 2029. It lists funding for projects including Maurepas Swamp, Myrtle Grove and Davis Pond. The figures depend on projected revenues being received; they do not guarantee that every planned amount will be available or spent, or establish final approval for all five projects.

Projected spending varies by project i

CPRA’s annual plan lists these amounts for the three named projects. The Maurepas figure below is one funding component, not the project’s total projected spending.

Project or funding line	Projected FY2027–FY2029 amount
Maurepas Swamp — RESTORE funding	$149.4 million
Medium Diversion with Dedicated Dredging at Myrtle Grove	$1,672,555
LCA Modification of Davis Pond	$1.5 million

Verite reported that about 98% of the planned diversion spending in its tally is assigned to Maurepas. That is a reported allocation of planned spending, not a measure of completed work, ecological benefits or the project’s total lifetime cost.

The comparison with prior work is also on a different time scale: Verite reported that CPRA’s plan describes three diversion projects completed since 2007, totaling $47 million. That historical amount is not a like-for-like annual comparison with the projected spending across five projects.

Maurepas construction is ongoing i

CPRA describes the Maurepas project as intended to enhance more than 45,000 acres of habitat across Ascension, Livingston, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes. Its plan anticipates completion by 2030. The agency’s project page says construction began at Hope Canal in 2024, identifies further construction near Garyville in 2027 and describes work as ongoing.

The plan’s projected expenditures therefore cover a project with construction underway, but they do not establish that its intended habitat benefits have already been achieved. The plan anticipates additional construction phases before the expected 2030 completion.

Mid-Barataria was terminated in 2025 i

CPRA announced on July 17, 2025, that it had terminated the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The agency said it concluded the project was no longer viable, citing costs, permitting concerns and ongoing litigation. The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group approved a reduction in the project’s authorized budget from $2.26 billion to $618.52 million, an amount CPRA said reflected funds already disbursed.

Verite reported that critics of Mid-Barataria had raised concerns about possible effects on fisheries and oyster beds. Those concerns were part of the debate over that terminated project; they do not establish effects from the other projects in the current spending tally.

The plan shows river reintroduction remains part of Louisiana’s coastal-restoration work, but the five-project spending estimate should not be read as a replacement for Mid-Barataria or as evidence that the projects are equivalent in scale. CPRA’s stated target for Maurepas is completion by 2030; the plan does not set one next decision date for all five projects.

Sources

• Louisiana rethinks how rivers can restore its coast, with lessons from an accident, Louisiana Illuminator / Verite News
• Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Plan, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
• River Reintroduction Into Maurepas Swamp, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
• State, Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group Announce Termination of Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Funding, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
• coastal.la.gov
• ap27.coastal.la.gov

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