New Orleans East Marsh Creation

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.

The overall purpose of this project is to create marsh within a footprint of approximately 29,000 acres within a portion of the New Orleans East Landbridge Restoration project to create new wetland habitat, restore degraded marsh and reduce wave erosion.

Several smaller projects fall under this larger project including:

Shoreline stabilization along the land bridge along U.S. 90 in Orleans Parish
Restoration of Lake Pontchartrain shoreline at Chef Menteur Pass
Restoration of emergent wetlands and shoreline protection in Lake Borgne along the eastern perimeter of the landbridge

The project area includes the Fort Pike State Historic Site, U.S. Highway 90 and the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, the largest urban refuge in the nation, which provides significant estuarine habitat. The New Orleans East Landbridge has been identified by the Army Corps of Engineers as a critical landscape feature that serves as a crucial line of storm surge defense for nearly 1.5 million people in eight parishes, including the cities of New Orleans, Laplace, Madisonville, Mandeville and Slidell.

About This Project

Parish: Orleans, St. Tammany

Type: Marsh Creation

From the 2023 Coastal Master Plan

CMP23 Project: New Orleans East Marsh Creation

Region: Pontchartrain
Parish: Orleans, St. Tammany
CMP ID: 037e
Project Type: Marsh Creation
Implementation Period: 2
CMP23 description: Creation of marsh within a footprint of approximately 29,000 acres in a portion of the New Orleans East Landbridge Marsh Creation project to create new wetland habitat, restore degraded marsh, and reduce wave erosion.

CPRA Project Factsheet

Project Implementation

Project 1: New Orleans Landbridge Shoreline Stabilization and Marsh Creation

Project ID: PO-0169
Parish: Orleans
Land Benefit: 284 acres
Status: Construction
Funding Source: CWPPRA
Description: The project goal is to create 169 acres and nourish 102 acres of marsh and to enhance 15,340 linear feet of shoreline via earthen berm at two locations on the Orleans Landbridge along U.S.-90 in Orleans Parish using sediment dredged from Lake Pontchartrain and Lake St. Catherine.

CPRA Project Webpage

Project 2: St. Catherine Island Marsh Creation and Shoreline Protection

Project ID: PO-0179
Parish: Orleans
Land Benefit: 339 acres
Status: Engineering & Design
Funding Source: CWPPRA
Description: This project involves the restoration of Lake Pontchartrain shoreline at Chef Menteur Pass in Orleans Parish through the construction of approximately 13,000 linear feet of shoreline revetment, 7,000 linear feet of foreshore dike, and the creation or nourishment of approximately 219 acres of marsh using sediment dredged from Lake Pontchartrain.

CPRA Project Webpage

Project 3: East Orleans Landbridge Restoration

Project ID: PO-0191
Parish: Orleans
Land Benefit: 1563 acres
Status: Engineering & Design
Funding Source: NRDA
Description: The Project design will have two components: marsh creation and shoreline protection. The design for the marsh creation component of the project will create or restore roughly 1,563 acres of emergent wetlands using hydraulically dredged sediment from Lake St. Catherine or Lake Pontchartrain. The design for the shoreline protection component of the project will create approximately 21,597 linear feet of living shoreline protection features to be installed in Lake Borgne along the eastern perimeter of the Landbridge.

CPRA Project Webpage

Updates

Project 1: New Orleans Landbridge Shoreline Stabilization and Marsh Creation

07/03/2024
Construction is close to completion with 2 of the 3 marsh creation cells done.
04/06/2023
Construction is anticipated to be completed in May 2024.
06/03/2022
Construction has begun.
08/26/2021
Notice of award was issued and a Notice to Proceed expected in early October.
06/18/2021
Bid for construction is advertised.
01/25/2021
Consistency permit modification is issued.
12/06/2018
Received CWPPRA Phase 2 funding for construction.

Project 2: St. Catherine Island Marsh Creation and Shoreline Protection

07/17/2024
Beginning the Gulf Sturgeon consultation process with NOAA.
12/14/2023
Project approved for CWPPRA Phase 2 construction funding.
07/27/2023
Intend to request CWPPRA Phase 2 construction funding in December.
01/11/2023
The project was not recommended for CWPPRA Phase 2 construction funding.
10/14/2022
Completed 95% E&D report and application for CWPPRA Phase 2 funding.
07/07/2022
Held 30% E&D meeting.
07/07/2021
30% E&D to be completed in Spring 2022.

Project 3: East Orleans Landbridge Restoration

05/21/2024
Geotechnical data collection will begin in June. E&D will be completed early next year.
01/30/2024
Landrights have been resolved. Final design is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
07/13/2023
Landowner negotiations are ongoing.
04/14/2023
Preliminary design is complete.
08/04/2022
NRDA Restoration Plan #8 is released with $8 million for E&D.
03/18/2022
NRDA Restoration Plan #8 proposes an additional $4 million for the East Orleans Landbridge.

What is a Marsh Creation Project?

Graphic depiction of Marsh Creation Projects by SCAPE. Found in 2023 Coastal Master Plan.

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.