Houma Navigation Canal Lock Hydrologic Restoration

This project will construct a lock on the Houma Navigation Canal located in western Terrebonne Bay. The Houma Navigation Canal is a significant conduit for salt water into Terrebonne’s rapidly disappearing marshes. Construction of this project will help control salinities in the navigation canal and increase the effectiveness of the Increase Atchafalaya Flow into Terrebonne Marshes project by retaining and enhancing the distribution of fresh water in the wetlands to the north of the lock.

The construction of the Houma Navigation Canal (HNC) adjacent to the Bubba Dove Floodgate is a crucial component of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf Hurricane Protection System.

Once finished, the HNC Lock will play a vital role in extending the timeframe for navigation activities when the neighboring Bubba Dove Floodgate is closed to safeguard communities from storm surge or high-water events. During the closure of the floodgate, the lock will facilitate vessel movement in both directions on the HNC. This capability allows authorities to close the floodgate earlier and keep it closed for an extended period, offering significant benefits to the local ecosystem struggling with saltwater intrusion.

The initial phase of the HNC Lock Complex project involved dredging over 1 million cubic yards of material to prepare the area for the lock complex. This phase also created 150 acres of marsh across six areas north of the complex along the navigation channel. Completed in the spring of 2023, Phase 1 set the groundwork for the subsequent phases. Bids for the construction of Phase 2, encompassing an 800-foot lock chamber with 110-foot-wide sector gates, were awarded in February 2024.

Phase 2 construction of the lock complex is expected to begin in 2024, with an estimated construction timeline of 3 years. Phase 3 of the project, the floodgate modifications, is expected to start after Phase 2.