This agreement provides funding under the infrastructure investment and jobs act (IIJA) (PL 117-58) to coushatta tribe of louisiana

This Project Grant award of $195,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Non-State Member Support for the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan program (CFDA 66.487) will fund the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to conduct planning and assessment activities to support the construction of stormwater wetlands on tribal lands. The key deliverables include an environmental impact assessment, two wetland assessments, and a non-point source management plan. These activities will ensure the proposed stormwater wetland construction minimizes negative environmental impacts, develop feasible strategies for habitat restoration and pollution control, and complete assessments of the proposed construction sites. The award period runs from June 1, 2024 to May 29, 2029.

Specifically, the purpose of this agreement is to support and advance the gulf hypoxia action plan through implementation of coushatta tribe of louisiana's nutrient reduction strategy. The tribe plans to address backwater floods containing pollutants from bayou blue and bayou nezpique onto coushatta tribal lands by eventually constructing stormwater wetlands at two locations identified during a previous study. This construction would provide enhanced water quality on tribal lands by allowing suspended materials to settle and a partial perimeter littoral shelf will remove nutrients. As a first step in the process, the tribe will use grant funds to assess environmental and regulatory best practices to ensure that the proposed stormwater wetland construction is the most viable, feasible, and environmentally conscious solution. To that end, this grant will fund an environmental assessment, a non-point source (NPS) management plan, and wetland siting and surveying assessments of the lake east of powell and south lake to assess stormwater wetland construction at the two proposed locations for implementation. Activities:the activities include developing an environmental impact assessment, two wetlands assessments, and a nonpoint source management plan. The tribe will hire a contractor who will: * complete a quality assurance project plan (QAPP) or equivalent in compliance with EPA region 6 standards to cover data collection necessary for the following planning efforts * develop an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the lake east of powell and south lake locations * develop wetland assessment at lake east of powell identified for construction with necessary field site sampling, desktop and data analysis * develop wetland assessment at south lake location identified for construction with the necessary field site sampling, desktop and data analysis * develop non-point source (NPS) management plan, including water quality modeling and vegetation recommendations subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include a quality assurance project plan, an environmental impact assessment, two wetlands assessments, and a nonpoint source management plan. The expected outcomes include: * ensure proposed construction of stormwater wetlands will be completed with minimal negative environmental impacts on the region and ensure completion of all necessary compliance and permitting for construction; * develop informed leadership and feasibility-tested strategies to achieve habitat restoration, pollution control and mitigation, and stormwater management goals through water quality monitoring and vegetation recommendations; * completed assessment of environmental impact and applicable regulations pertaining to the proposed construction locations; completed assessment of two wetland sites for stormwater management design to evaluate the feasibility of site locations for proposed construction. The intended beneficiaries include the members and residents of the coushatta tribe of louisiana.