The St. Charles Parish Coastal Zone Advisory Committee took up a joint permit application for geotechnical borings by Eustis at its July 14 meeting, but the outcome of that item was not recorded in the committee's action. The application, which involves subsurface testing work, was discussed alongside the panel's other coastal permitting business, and residents should watch for further word on whether it was approved, denied or held for more information.

The committee also confirmed that a proposed set of improvements to the Hahnville Wastewater Treatment Plant, filed under permit number P20260525 by GEC, Inc., will require a Coastal Use Permit. No permit has been issued yet. Residents should watch for a forthcoming Joint Permit Application or a request for a determination on exemption status before that project moves forward.

Separately, the committee began groundwork on updates to two Environmental Management Units in the parish's Local Coastal Program. EMU 10, covering the Paradis Mitigation Area, and EMU 9, covering the Bayou Gauche Community, were formally introduced Monday. Full committee discussion and an eventual vote on updates to both units will happen at the next meeting. The committee also continued discussing EMU 8, questioning why Paradis and Des Allemands were grouped into the same West Bank community unit given their differing hydrology. Members signaled interest in revisiting EMU boundaries and goals to reflect a decade of change in the parish, and in adding language addressing carbon capture projects where relevant.

Davis Pond Advisory Committee President Matthew Jewell briefed the committee on diversion operations in the Barataria Basin. He reported that his committee is working with CPRA's John Troutman to rewrite the diversion's operational framework. The goal is to remove a requirement that operations be paused for brown shrimp consultation and to revisit the oyster consultation period tied to salinity data collected through the Coastwide Reference Monitoring System, since that data shows Davis Pond has minimal impact on shrimp and oyster conditions. A resolution supporting the change is being drafted for approval by both this committee and the Parish Council, with plans to present it at the next Davis Pond Advisory Committee meeting. A parish representative will be designated to help shape that resolution.

The committee also heard about a roughly $2 million, two-year study by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority that will examine siting and design options, including a traditional diversion, a pump station or a siphon, for a possible new freshwater diversion near the Edgard/Killona area. The project is intended to fight saltwater intrusion into Lake Salvador. Separately, the committee discussed a possible rock jetty project on Bayou des Allemands, which would be pursued jointly with Lafourche Parish to narrow the bayou's opening and increase freshwater retention.

The committee adopted a resolution supporting Love Our Waterways Month, which passed, ahead of a September waterway cleanup event. Members also voted to deviate from the printed agenda order, which passed, so the meeting could move through its business more efficiently.

The committee received an update on coastal restoration projects that have advanced through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's screening process for its 2029 Coastal Master Plan, though no vote was taken on that briefing.

Residents interested in these issues can also track two upcoming events: the CPRA Board Meeting on July 15 in Thibodaux at the Coastal Center on the Nicholls campus, and continuing in-person training for local coastal program staff on wetland evaluation consistency on July 22 through the Department of Coastal Engineering.