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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, March 6, 2006
Contact:
Matt Rota, (504) 525-1528
Jill Mastrototaro, (504) 836-7208
Lessons Not Learned: Groups Urge St. Tammany Parish,
Army Corps of Engineers to Consider Impacts and Possible Alternatives
to Proposed Bypass
A controversial $10.5 million Mandeville bypass road would impact
nearly 80 acres of land and destroy almost 60 acres of wetlands near
Mandeville. The bypass would run from Louisiana Highway 1088 to U.S.
Highway 190.
"We do recognize that there are traffic congestion problems in St.
Tammany Parish, but it is important to also consider the new problems
that destroying these wetlands will create," said Matt Rota of the
Gulf Restoration Network. "In the
wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, preserving our vanishing wetlands
is a vital part of a comprehensive strategy to protect the region
from future storms and floods."
In comments sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality, the Gulf Restoration Network
and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation urged the agencies to
reject St. Tammany Parish's request for a permit to fill wetlands
based on the following:
- The proposed bypass will degrade water quality and destroy
the flood protection capacity of the wetlands. These wetlands
are also part of the Cane Bayou watershed, which is designated as
a Louisiana Natural and Scenic River.
- The proposal will open up a large, undeveloped tract of land
east of the bypass to future development. This area is uniquely
positioned between Bayou Castine and Cane Bayou.
- The parish must first be required to consider alternatives
to constructing a new road through wetlands such as expanding
established transportation corridors or modifying the project alignment.
- The project conflicts with Louisiana's goal to protect and
restore wetlands.
Jill Mastrototaro, Environmental Coordinator of the Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, noted, "This proposal serves
as an example of why St. Tammany Parish must begin developing policies
and ordinances from its New Directions 2025 comprehensive land use
plan. Only through enforceable land use regulations can the parish
begin to address infrastructure needs while ensuring the protection
of important natural resources."
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