Last week, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council voted to approve two amendments to the Initial Funded Priorities List (FPL), one regarding the State of Louisiana Lowermost Mississippi River Management project (LMRM) and the other regarding the State of Florida Palm River Restoration Project Phase II, East McKay Bay project.
With respect to LMRM, the FPL was amended to allocate the full $9.3 million in approved funding to the State of Louisiana. The Initial FPL had provided that LMRM funding was to be equally allocated between the State of Louisiana and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
With respect to Palm River, the FPL was amended to move the implementation phase of the project from FPL Category 2 (further Council consideration) to Category 1 (Council approval) and to reallocate $87,750 from the Palm River planning activity (already in Category 1) to implementation. $856,430 is now available for Palm River implementation.
These funds will be used for construction of three stormwater ponds, exotic vegetation removal, native planting, monitoring, management of exotic species and maintenance of culverts and stormwater ponds along the river at the mouth of McKay Bay.