A major coastal restoration project in Plaquemines Parish will resume some work after being halted months after ground was broken on the project. Back in February a lawsuit against the Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) caused the Mid-Barataria Diversion Project to shut down. Work has been stopped for months, but is now resuming under a modified Stop Work Order. According to a joint statement issued by the parish and the CPRA, both are working towards a path forward and all parties have filed a motion to stop the lawsuit proceedings for now. The CRPA says early works construction is allowed to resume, saving the state money. The joint statement said both the parish and CRPA are working to restore and protect the coast. The statement read: “The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and Plaquemines Parish Government (Plaquemines Parish) are working toward a mutually acceptable path forward for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. The parties have filed a joint motion to stay the pending litigation, requesting legal proceedings related to the project be suspended."CPRA and the State of Louisiana will work with Plaquemines Parish to address and resolve their concerns related to the project, and Plaquemines Parish has issued a modified Stop Work Order previously issued on the project to allow defined Early Works construction activities to resume, including site preparation and progress on various temporary structures. "Resuming construction activities on Early Work items as well as the procurement of long-lead time items will provide significant cost savings to the State as it relates to project construction."CPRA will continue prioritizing the implementation of additional immediate restoration and resilience efforts in the Barataria Basin as outlined in Louisiana’s 2023 Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast. The goal of both parties is to protect and restore our invaluable coast."CPRA and Plaquemines Parish are committed to collaborating to achieve comprehensive coastal protection and restoration to preserve the rich culture, ecosystem, and the natural resources of the Barataria Basin while also ensuring Plaquemines Parish’s concerns about the project are addressed, including those related to the National Flood Insurance Program.”Earlier reports: The project aimed to use freshwater and sediment to help restore and maintain land and faced years of pushback from the seafood industry, as well as some state lawmakers, before breaking ground in August 2023. Proponents of the project said that it would add up to 26,000 acres of wetland to the state marshes within 50 years.According to a statement issued by Parish President Keith Hinkley, the parish believes CPRA failed to get necessary permits required by the National Flood Insurance Program's federal regulations and local ordinances, noting that documents that showed whether or not the project would raise flood levels in the parish were not provided. In his statement, Hinkley said that dangers from the project are too extreme to be ignored and work should not continue until valid permits are issued. Read Hinkley's full statement here: "Today, in an effort to protect Plaquemines Parish families and local businesses, Plaquemines Parish Government filed a lawsuit against Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) to immediately stop all work on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. "Furthermore, pursuant to the Code of Federal Regulations and Parish Ordinances regarding flood plain management, we have halted all permitting and issued “Stop Work Orders” related to this project and are requesting all federal and state agencies responsible for MBSD to immediately suspend or revoke all permits for this project until all flood management laws and regulations are followed, and a valid permit is issued. "The reasons for these actions are simple. Working with FEMA through a federal audit, it was determined that CPRA failed to get the necessary permits as required by the National Flood Insurance Program’s federal regulations and local ordinances. After repeated requests, CPRA failed to provide the Parish’s Chief Building Official and Flood Plain Manager “calculations, models and analysis” needed to determine whether or not the project will raise base flood levels by more than a foot. Without this information, Plaquemines Parish Government officials are concerned that this project will put our homes and businesses at risk to increased danger from hurricane storm surge, hurricane flooding and even rain events. Without robust enforcement and application of the these very important laws, it may also jeopardize our citizen’s ability to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program or at a minimum, yet still unacceptable, increase flood insurance rates, which as every citizen in Louisiana already knows is unaffordable. Neither of these options are acceptable."In response to the Parish’s FEMA Audit, more than a month ago, our Chief Building Official asked the CPRA and the Corps to provide us with any and all flood modeling data required by federal and parish laws that could help determine what if any mitigation measures are needed to protect the Parish and its participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. CPRA has yet to provide the necessary data. And, our request that the United States Army Corp of Engineers suspend or revoke the permit is “still under review.” "The danger this project poses to our community is too extreme to be ignored. We again ask the CPRA and the Corps to provide us with any modeling or data required by the Parish and FEMA to mitigate this issue. Let’s hope we receive the necessary data so Plaquemines Parish Government can discern what negative impacts this project may have on our community."