Lincoln Beach Site Assessment

Mayor Latoya Cantrell Administration is prioritizing quality of life issues. In New Orleans East that means exploring the feasibility of re-opening Lincoln Beach to recreation. The City is in the early stages of a study which is assessing the current conditions of the beach to determine the kind of mitigation activities that would be necessary to clean the beach up and return it to public use.

The site assessment’s scope is scheduled to be completed in early 2021. The following elements will be included in the study;

• Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and Habitat Assessment –  a simple habitat assessment of the beach area to determine plant species that are present on site, and characterize habitat types and percent cover. Specifically, identify potentially poisonous flora, such as poisonous oak or ivy, which could pose a risk to staff or volunteers performing clean-up activities. Identify invasive species and percent cover, provide an estimate to facilitate removal of such invasive species.
• Facility Asset Assessment – update the site inventory and assess the conditions of the parking lot structures, shelters, tunnels, swimming pool, concrete pads, and other historic structures.
• Facility Access Assessment – evaluate current pedestrian, bicycle, vehicular, and public transit access possibilities and limitations. Potential future access points that meet the Americans with Disabilities Act will be identified as well as opportunities and challenges for implementing future access points for pedestrian, bicycle, vehicular, and public transit will be evaluated.
• Utility Assessment – conduct a utility assessment including existing drainage, sewerage, potable water, gas, and electrical systems.
• Topographic, Bathymetric, and Magnetometer Survey – survey of the shoreline demonstrating average water depths and the location of underwater debris that may present a challenge to converting the space to recreational use.
• Comprehensive Site Assessment – include conceptual level engineering evaluation and drawings indicating potential areas of future development of the site, suitability of the existing beach for recreational use, suitability of the existing waterfront structures and nearshore areas for recreational boating access, potential areas of ingress/egress, list of potential permits required for development of the site, and areas unsuitable for development due to the presence of wetlands or other environmental concerns. (nola.gov)