Barataria Land Bridge, Large-Scale Barataria Marsh Creation Project Underway

By Alisha Renfro, Staff Scientist, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign,  National Wildlife Federation

Today, in Plaquemines Parish, sand is being dredged from the Mississippi River and pumped westward through a pipeline into Barataria Bay to build new land. This project is one of the 19 priority projects the MRD Coalition identified as the most urgent to restore the health of the Mississippi River Delta and protect the people businesses, jobs and wildlife in the region. To date, more than 1,000 acres of land have been built through this project and 1,000 more acres are currently under construction. 

Project Description: This project is using sand from the Mississippi River build new land, nourish existing marsh, help prevent salt water from the Gulf of Mexico from penetrating into freshwater marshes and swamps in the mid to upper reaches of the Barataria Basin and help protect the nearby coastal community of Lafitte from storm surge and tidal flooding.

Working in Concert with Other Projects: This large marsh creation project can work with our other priority projects in the Barataria Basin – Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Lower Barataria Sediment Diversion, Barataria Pass to Sandy Point Barrier Island Restoration and Belle Pass to Caminada Pass Barrier Island Restoration – to protect freshwater wetlands in the upper basin from salt water, enhance storm surge protection and reintroduce fresh water, sediment and nutrients to build new land and sustain existing wetlands.

Project Progress to Date:

Barataria Marsh Creation Project

Sediment pipeline.