Central Wetlands Marsh Creation and Diversion
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 …
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 …