In partnership with the New Orleans District and local New Orleans stakeholders, the St. Paul District has been assisting with the Upper Barataria Basin risk reduction project since 2022.
The overall project is a hurricane and storm damage risk reduction project that would total over 30 miles in length and provide continuous storm protection for the regional south and west of New Orleans. The project includes Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist parishes.
St. Paul District is the lead for hydraulics and hydrology modeling, engineering and design, and the environmental study for Reach G, which is about 5% of the overall project. Specifically, the St. Paul District is designing the first set of plans and specifications for an access road that will complete the pre-construction engineering and design. For USACE Civil Works, finishing this step marks a project’s transition from the feasibility phase to implementation and construction.
Jim Cook is the project manager for the St. Paul portion. “This project is important in that it will protect communities and sensitive ecosystems. Because the Upper Barataria Basin is centered between two existing systems that are more developed [New Orleans and Morganza-to-the-Gulf], it also completes a long line of protection for coastal Louisiana,” Cook said.
The project delivery team includes members from the St. Paul District as well as the New Orleans District. “It’s important to have a multi-district, multidisciplinary team because in the St. Paul District, we don’t know some of the local practices and we don’t have the relationships with stakeholders,” Cook said.
With geographical distance comes additional challenges, but the team is up to the task.
“This team does a good job communicating between disciplines,” Cook said. Once the team hands off their hydraulic modeling and access road design to the New Orleans District, the team will continue to be involved in future stages. The New Orleans District anticipates receiving construction funding in fiscal year 2026 and has asked the St. Paul District for help with engineering during construction.
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| Date Taken: |
04.09.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
04.09.2026 11:48 |
| Story ID: |
562346 |
| Location: |
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA, US |
| Web Views: |
28 |
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0 |
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This work, St. Paul District collaborates with New Orleans District on risk reduction project, by Melanie Peterson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
