Full document / COSOC-W-86-002 - the National Sea Grant Library

740
Estuarine and Coastal Management-Tools ofthe Abstractonly
Trade. Proceedings ofthe Tenth National Conference
of TheCoastalSociety. October12-15,1986. New
Orleans, LA. Copyright by TheCoastalSociety
1987.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN THE
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN BASIN, LOUISIANA
Charles G. Groat
Departmentof NaturalResources
LouisianaGeological Survey
P.O. Box G
Baton Rouge, LA 70893
The Lake Pontchartrain Basin contains all of the classic elements for land-use
conflicts in a coastal setting. Productive wetlands border much of the lake with
concentrationsin the western portion in the Lake Maurepas area. The south shore of the
lake isoccupied by theexpanding New Orleans metropolitan area and thenorth shore is
facing rapidresidential andrecreational development. The lakehasa productive sportsand
commercial fishery and is the site of shell dredging and petroleum production. Urban
expansion, storm runoff, sewage discharge, resourcedevelopment, and shoreline and
wetlandloss areallimpactingthequalityof Lake Pontchartrain watersand the viabilityof
fringing wetlandhabitats ata rapidly increasing rate.
The Governorof Louisianacreateda task force to investigatethe feasibility of
establishing a special management area in the basin under the state's Coastal Zone
Management Program to dealwithconflicting landandwateruseactivities. This approach
would utilize specialguidelines, developedby thetask forceandadministered throughthe
state program,to define permit conditions forcompeting uses. Concern over restrictions
that would limit landowner rights and over measures that could restrict resource
development has created some strong differences of opinion among task force members
who represent local governments, state agencies, industrial interests, environmental
organizations and federal agencies. The resultsofefforts to createa specialmanagement
areain the Pontchartrain Basinwill be significantnotonly in termsof futuremanagement
of that area, but in testing the abilityof diverseinterestgroups to devise and accepta
comprehensive land-usemanagementsystem that goes considerablybeyond the generally
limitedsystemscurrently in placein Louisiana.