The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans today dedicated
a $2 million water quality project designed to help improve the
ecology of Lake Pontchartrain and to restore the waters of Lincoln
Beach for swimming and fishing.
City and state elected officials joined the Board in ceremonies,
along with representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the scientific and environmental community, garden
clubs, civic and business groups and churches.
The Supplemental Environmental Program (SEP), as it is called,
consists of several components: the planting of submersed aquatic
vegetation (SAV) in waters bordering the east and west sides of
the old Lincoln Beach site, the construction and preservation
of emergent wetland areas to help protect the SAV, establishment
of an arboretum in the upland wooded areas of the project site
and participation with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation,
Tulane University and the EPA in the development of the Water
Quality Predictive Model.
Mayor Marc H. Morial, S&WB president, said, "The Board
is proud of this unique and creative environmental project which
will help improve the waters of Lake Pontchartrain and serve
as an educational adventure for students, scientists and environmentalists
for years to come. Lake Pontchartrain is making an incredible
comeback. Water quality is improving daily throughout the lake
and the water at Lincoln Beach is again fit for swimming for the
first time in more than 38 years."
The Mayor said the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's aggressive
programs and resources are focusing on further water quality improvement
projects for the lake; the University of New Orleans built its
Research and Technology Park on its shoreline, and the City's
Master plan calls for the redevelopment of this historic site
at Lincoln Beach as a premier recreational facility for generations
to come.
S&WB Executive Director Harold Gorman said, "This
project blends perfectly with the future of the lake and Lincoln
Beach. It provides a scientific solution to a water quality challenge
and, at the same time, benefits citizens through an improved environment
in which to live and play."
The SEP was developed as a condition of settlement of the 1998
Consent Decree the Board entered into with the EPA, when the Board
agreed to develop a project which would benefit the entire community.
Mayor Morial recommended Lincoln Beach as the project site
and asked the Board's environmental and executive staffs to create
a project which would meet the goals of EPA and the environmental
community and benefit the citizens of New Orleans. With the Board's
approval and EPA's authorization, the project was developed with
the goal of helping return the Lincoln Beach site to swimming
and fishing.
SAV has long been recognized as necessary for fish and wildlife
nursery and habitat and is an indicator of the ecological vitality
of the lake. Dr. Michael Poirrier of the University of New Orleans
is a world renowned expert on SAV in Lake Pontchartrain and worked
to design
and oversee the installation and monitoring of SAV for this project.
Burk-Kleinpeter Inc. are the consulting engineers.
According to S&WB officials, the knowledge gained from
the SEP will be used to help in propagation of SAV areas elsewhere
in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and other similar regions of the
United States.
Gorman said, "The emergent wetland areas, upland buffer
zones and arboretum areas protect and nurture the SAV areas, provide
environmental education opportunities and create an outdoor classroom
setting for local schools and universities. The overlook areas
allow students and others interested in SAV to survey the SAV
areas without disturbing the project. The arboretum provides a
setting to enjoy and identify the plants and trees native to the
Pontchartrain region."
The Predictive Model will provide health authorities a more
accurate and timely tool to determine water quality conditions
and suitability of the waters for swimming and other recreational
uses. Current methods and regulations do not allow for a "real
time" assessment of water quality. The model will be available
for use by EPA and other local authorities at beaches throughout
the world to help promote safe recreational use.
The Mayor said, "The SEP will improve and revitalize the
environment of Lincoln Beach and serve as a catalyst for the redevelopment
of the beach as a recreation site. The SEP and Master Plan will
preserve the historical significance of Lincoln Beach and help
bolster social and economic wellness in New Orleans East. As a
result, the community will have access to the lake and a recreational
area to be enjoyed by many future generations."
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