New Orleans East Marsh Creation
New Orleans East Marsh Creation
This large-scale marsh creation project is located in New Orleans East on the land bridge separating Lake Pontchartrain from Lake Borgne, which is the major control on the potential flow of hurricane surge into Lake Pontchartrain. This exposure to wave energy and storm surge has unfortunately resulted in the rapid retreat of the shoreline and the expansion of ponds and lakes within the marsh, and the landbridge between the two lakes has eroded into a much weaker line of defense. …
Central Wetlands Marsh Creation and Diversion
This diversion and marsh creation project will synergistically benefit the Central Wetlands Unit ecosystem in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, an area of nearly 30,000 acres of wetland that was once mostly a mix of cypress-tupelo swamp and bottomland hardwood forest. Now a predominantly brackish marsh habitat, this area has been dramatically affected by human-made forces. Logging; leveeing of the Mississippi River; construction of oil, gas and navigation canals; and the construction of the now-closed Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) …
River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp
This diversion, near Garyville, will provide fresh water and nutrients to existing wetlands in Maurepas Swamp. Dominated by bald cypress and water tupelo trees, the Maurepas Swamp complex is one of the largest forested wetlands in the nation. However, levees constructed along the river have isolated the area from spring floods and the vital fresh water, nutrients and sediment they bring. This isolation, coupled with rising salinities throughout the Pontchartrain Basin while the MRGO was open, has left the swamp …
Three Mile Pass Marsh Creation and Hydrologic Restoration
Proposed to help protect oyster and shrimp habitat, the Three Mile Pass Marsh Creation and Hydrologic Restoration Project will build a marsh buffer against potential freshwater intrusion. The project footprint will be approximately 11,000 acres, including a 660-acre area dedicated to creating new wetland habitat and restoring imperiled marsh in Malheureaux Point and Grand Pass. Existing conditions in the Biloxi Marsh make this area prime habitat for oysters and shrimp. However, if the Bonnet Carre Spillway opens to prevent Mississippi …
Delacroix Marsh Creation
The Delacroix Marsh Creation priority project combines the West Delacroix Marsh Creation and Oak River to Delacroix Marsh Creation projects from the 2023 Coastal Master Plan. These marsh creation projects are located in the Pontchartrain / Breton Sound region. Together these projects can work synergistically to bolster ongoing marsh creation efforts in this area of Plaquemines Parish. The West Delacroix Marsh Creation project will build and restore approximately 5,100 acres of marsh south and west of Delacroix Island. The Oak …
Bayou La Loutre Ridge Restoration
Breton Ridge Restoration includes the restoration of two historic ridges on either side of the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO), Bayou Terre aux Boeufs and Bayou La Loutre. Bayou La Loutre begins in Yscloskey and extends into the southeastern Biloxi marshes. Bayou La Loutre ridge is actually comprised of two parallel natural levees flanking old Bayou La Loutre (Otter Bayou), which is part of the structural underpinning of the Biloxi marshes. Construction of the MRGO breached the ridges, dramatically altering the …
Manchac Landbridge Diversion
Manchac Landbridge Diversion, as proposed in the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, would be constructed within the existing western guide levee of the Bonnet Carre Spillway. When the Bonnet Carre Spillway is opened to reduce river flood risk in New Orleans, all sediment, fresh water and nutrients are directed into Lake Pontchartrain, wasting these vital resources and causing water quality issues. The Manchac Diversion will direct some of these flows into degraded swamps and marshes adjacent to the spillway to increase …
Union Freshwater Diversion
Proposed within the 2017 Coastal Master Plan with a maximum capacity of 25,000 cubic feet of water per second, the Union Freshwater Diversion is meant to deliver nutrient-rich freshwater from the Mississippi River to the fresh-forested, flotant and freshwater marsh environment in Maurepas Swamp to prevent saltwater intrusion and encourage vegetation growth. As proposed, it would be designed to operate at maximum capacity when the river’s flow reaches one million cubic feet per second. The diversion would convey fine sediment …
Golden Triangle Marsh Creation
The 4,420-acre Golden Triangle Marsh project proposed in the 2017 Coastal Master Plan provides a vital wetland buffer along urban areas of New Orleans. The area has has been significantly impacted by human intervention. Dominated by brackish marsh, this area was badly damaged by saltwater intrusion and erosion following the dredging of the now-closed Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). This project used sediment from nearby Lake Borgne to create and restore marsh. Restoration of this area is critical as it …