Preliminary Assessment of Wetland Impact in the Pontchartrain Basin due to Hurricane Katrina Land Loss | MRGO | Habitat Impacts | Smart Growth | Links Hurricane Katrina’s devastating position over the Lake Pontchartrain Basin on August 29, 2005. The storm at landfall was a category 4 or 5 and a category 3 at the time this satellite image was taken with the center located over sprawling marsh that is the center of the estuary. The eye is also located over the southeastern edge of Lake Borgne and the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet. Hurricane force winds extended as much as 120 miles from the eye of the storm (beyond the west end of Lake Pontchartrain). New Orleans is located between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River and was flooded in the days following the hurricane’s passage just a few miles to the east of the city. Imagery from NOAA. Swath of Hurricane Katrina’s eye wall across the Lake Pontchartrain Basin on August 29, 2005. The leading edge of the hurricane had east winds forcing water to rise between the Mississippi River and the Mississippi gulf coast. The trailing edge of the hurricane had west winds which blew water to even higher levels in eastern Lake Pontchartrain.
	Pre and post-Hurricane satellite images indicate areas of loss of wetlands on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Shoreline is 20 miles north of New Orleans and approximately 10 to 20 miles west of the eye of Hurricane Katrina. Within the map area 3.6 square miles of wetlands may have been lost due to this single storm event. Satellite images provided courtesy of the National Wetlands Research Center - U.S. Geological Survey
	Pre and post-Hurricane Katrina satellite images indicate areas of extensive loss of wetlands southeast of New Orleans. The eye wall passed across the eastern side of the map area. Within the map area 34.6 square miles of wetlands may have been lost due to this single storm event. Satellite images provided courtesy of the National Wetlands Research Center - U.S. Geological Survey
	Oblique aerial photographs of a segment of the Chandeleur Islands in the easternmost area of the Pontchartrain Basin in southeastern Louisiana. (Arrows mark a common referenced location.) The Chandeleur Islands are part of the Breton Island National Wildlife Refuge established by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1904. The islands have never been developed or significantly impacted by modern society. The pristine islands normally function as a major bird rookery, which provides critical habitat for several endangered species. The photographs were taken before and after four hurricane passages occurring between 2001 and 2005. Note the extreme overwash of the barrier island in which most sand (white area) was washed away. Much of the vegetated platform (dark area) was also eroded. The Chandeleur Islands do breach naturally and may heal themselves. Recent storm activity, such as Hurricane Katrina, has not allowed sufficient time for significant recovery of the islands. Long term, the islands have had a net reduction in areal extent resulting in a loss of important habitat and hurricane protection to the coast. Imagery from the U.S. Geological Survey – St. Petersburg Florida.
	Preliminary estimates of wetlands lost by conversion to open-water due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina. From 1990 to 2001 the average rate of lost was 4.3 square miles per year for the entire Pontchartrain Basin. Hurricane Katrina caused the loss of roughly 40 square miles of wetland in the basin, generating in one day more loss (130% more) than the entire decade from 1990 to 2000. Data provided by the National Wetlands Research Center – U.S. Geological Survey

Wetlands Impacts and Environmental Permitting

The impacts of Hurricane Katrina on wetlands and natural habitats throughout the Pontchartrain Basin has been significant. Maps and images depicting wetland losses from the storm can be viewed above

Preliminary estimates suggest that in excess of 40 square miles of wetlands were lost from the storm event. This exceeds the amount of wetlands the basin lost to natural erosion processes from 1990-2000. As wetlands provide our first line of defense for hurricane storm surges and help to minimize flooding, now more than ever the community of southeast Louisiana must focus on restoring these critical coastal resources and protecting those wetlands that remain. LPBF will continue to working to achieve these goals.

Update on Environmental Permitting

The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation continues to review applications for development projects being proposed in the Pontchartrain Basin. The state and federal permitting agencies, namely, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – New Orleans and Vicksburg Districts and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, have announced special emergency permitting procedures for storm related repair projects. The public notices announcing these procedures can be found at:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers –

New Orleans District: http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/ops/regulatory/index.asp
Vicksburg District: http://www.mvd.usace.army.mil/hurricane/chr.php

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
http://dnr.louisiana.gov/crm/COASTMGT/cup/notices/spn2005-09-26.asp

Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality (No emergency procedures issued for water quality permits)
http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/news/pubnotice/default.asp

Those undertaking projects in response to the hurricane must first notify the permitting agencies, and may later be required to apply for an after-the-fact permit if necessary. These emergency procedures are valid for 90 days. Click here for LPBF’s Habitat Protection Program page, which contains more information on the regulatory process and to download our guide to the environmental permitting process, A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Wetlands in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin.

Land Use and Smart Growth Post-Katrina

The impact of Hurricane Katrina of the southeast Louisiana community will be felt for many years to come. While many environmental and man-made resources were left devastated and in disarray, the Pontchartrain Basin has been afforded a unique opportunity to rebuild a more vibrant, better planned community that protects critical natural features, establishes viable transportation systems, supports a strong economy, and guides development away from unsuitable areas.

For the past several years, LPBF has highlighted the challenges that sprawl, also known as poorly planned growth, has placed on the basin community, especially in the western parishes and on the North Shore. As the recovery process moves forward, we support a comprehensive land use planning process that balances development pressures, economy necessity, social responsibility, and the protection of critical natural resources. The concept of smart growth folds these issues into a single holistic approach, namely, the connection between development and quality of life issues.

For more information on smart growth as well as on efforts that are now underway to rebuild metro New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast, visit Smart Growth America and the Smart Growth Network.

Links to more Information and Graphics on Hurricane Katrina

http://epa.gov/region6/katrina/index.htm

http://www.epa.gov/katrina/outreach/handouts.html#homes

http://lagic.lsu.edu/hurricanes.htm

www.nhc.noaa.gov

www.noaa.gov

www.usgs.gov/katrina/

www.lacoast.gov

http://www.esri.com/news/pressroom/hurricanemaps.html#maps

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