About This Project
Project ID: 313 and 250
Parish: Plaquemines
Type: Marsh Creation
From the 2023 Coastal Master Plan
Project 1: West Delacroix Marsh Creation
Region: Pontchartrain
Parish: Plaquemines
Coastal Master Plan ID: 313
Project Type: Marsh Creation
Implementation Period: 1
Coastal Master Plan 23 Description: Creation of marsh within a footprint of approximately 5,100 acres south and west of Delacroix Island to create new wetland habitat, restore degraded marsh, and reduce wave erosion.
Project 2: Oak River to Delacroix Marsh Creation
Region: Pontchartrain
Parish: Plaquemines
Coastal Master Plan ID: 250
Project Type: Marsh Creation
Implementation Period: 1
Coastal Master Plan 23 Description: Creation of marsh within a footprint of approximately 2,400 acres in Plaquemines Parish between Grand Lake and Lake Lery to create new wetland habitat, restore degraded marsh, and reduce wave erosion.
Project Implementation
Project 1: South Delacroix Marsh Creation
Project ID: BS-0047
Parish: Plaquemines
Land Benefit: 332 acres
Status: Engineering & Design
Funding Source: CWPPRA
Description: Sediment would be hydraulically dredged from Petit Lake and placed in two confined disposal areas creating 390 ac of marsh and nourishing 23 ac of existing marsh. Containment dikes will be gapped no later than three years after construction to allow fisheries access and reestablish hydrologic connectivity. This project would be one of the final pieces in the overall Breton Land Bridge concept and the closest piece to the community of Delacroix.
Project 2: Mid Breton Land Bridge Marsh Creation and Terracing
Project ID: BS-0032
Parish: Plaquemines
Land Benefit: 411 acres
Status: Construction
Funding Source: CWPPRA
Description: This project involves the creation and nourishment of approximately 451 acres of intertidal marsh on the Mid-Breton Land Bridge in Plaquemines Parish with material dredged from Lake Lery, and approximately 22,960 linear feet of terraces in strategic areas to restore marsh habitat between the Bayou Terre aux Boeufs and River aux Chenes ridges.
What is a Marsh Creation Project?
Graphic by SCAPE, published in 2023 Coastal Master Plan.
Marsh creation or “dredging” uses sediment from the Mississippi River, nearby water bottoms or offshore shoals to build land in shallow, open water areas, typically where land has been lost. These projects can build land fairly quickly, but will eventually fall victim to the same process that caused the land to disappear originally. This type of project can be used in conjunction with sediment diversions to trap sediment, and sediment diversions can lengthen the lifespan of marsh creation projects by providing a continual source of sediment to the new marsh surface.
Other Marsh Creation Projects
Large Scale Barataria Marsh Creation | New Orleans East Marsh Creation | Central Wetlands Marsh Creation and Diversion | Three Mile Pass Marsh Creation and Hydrologic Restoration | East Bayou Lafourche Marsh Creation | Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation | Belle Pass-Golden Meadow Marsh Creation | Calcasieu-Sabine Large-Scale Marsh and Hydrologic Restoration Project |
Golden Triangle Marsh Creation
Ecological Highlights
Habitat
Wildlife
