Intracoastal Consultants, LLC is working with Delta Land Services to perform a Hydrologic and Hydraulic (H&H) modeling for the Bedico Creek watershed (±22,000 acres). Cypress Coastal Mitigation Bank is an approximated 3,000-acre parcel of land located in St. Tammany Parish and Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana. The Project is located just east of Bedico Creek, west of Madisonville, LA, and within the coastal wetlands of Lake Pontchartrain. Within the project limits, there is a main access road with side roads running through the site and spoil banks throughout the property, including along High Bridge Canal. The property is currently impounded by these existing features. The purpose of the project is to assess the drainage that flows into and within the property and propose improvements that would improve drainage and increase tidal connectivity to the Lake Pontchartrain Basin to reduce the existing water surface elevations on the property. The H&H modeling will support the ecological design of the wetlands to enhance the regeneration and sustainability of the bottomland hardwoods (BLH) and bald cypress swamp within the area.

Phase I of the project focused on the data gap and preliminary drainage analysis to support developing the model approach for the detailed numerical modeling to be performed in Phase II. In Phase I, the project team deployed seven water level gauges, collected topographic and bathymetric data, and utilized LiDAR technology to develop the conceptual plan for reducing inundation and impoundment within the CCMB project area. This project-specific data, in conjunction with the publicly available data, was used to develop the model geometry, boundary conditions, and calibration of the model. The H&H modeling allowed the project team to determine the proposed drainage improvements and improvements for tidal connectivity. The Project is in a unique area within the Pontchartrain basin where the property is influenced by both upstream drainage and riverine features in northern portions of the property and tidal connections within the middle and lower sections of the property. The hydraulic model will be developed in HEC-RAS as a 2D model to evaluate overland flow, inundation, and the benefits resulting from the proposed improvements.