The SCP Coastal Zone Advisory Committee met on December 9, 2025, to review coastal protection and restoration activities affecting St. Charles Parish. A major focus was a presentation by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on how the state funds and develops coastal projects, followed by discussion of the Davis Pond freshwater diversion's ongoing salinity management and its ecological impact on local water bodies and wildlife habitat.
The committee is drafting a resolution supporting a re-evaluation of the Davis Pond diversion's salinity parameters (currently set at 5 to 15 parts per thousand), which were established in the mid-to-late 2000s. Committee members and the public expressed concern that maintaining those targets has degraded freshwater habitat, decimated duck populations and fish species, and killed aquatic vegetation throughout the northern estuary. The committee plans to work with the local coastal program's environmental management units to examine whether new goals are needed before the next Davis Pond Advisory Committee meeting in 2026. That resolution is intended to be ready for presentation to DPAC well in advance of the meeting (ideally by July or August 2026) to allow meaningful input into the diversion's operating plan rather than only voting to approve or reject a finished plan.
Additionally, St. Charles Parish is exploring funding for new salt-water monitoring stations near the Intracoastal Waterway where it meets Lake Salvador and near Bayou Designations and Bayou Cuba to track saltwater intrusion affecting the parish's natural defenses and recreational resources.
The committee noted that a feasibility study of Davis Pond operations is included in the parish's Shield implementation program and should be prioritized as part of the next cycle of updates to the local coastal program document.
Public Comments