Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion
← Older postsMid-Breton Sediment Diversion
The Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion is a vital project aimed at reducing land loss in the Breton Basin, one of the most productive and ecologically diverse areas on the Gulf coast. This proposed diversion will be on the east bank of the Mississippi River at Wills Point in Plaquemines Parish. This diversion, like other planned sediment diversions, will use the power of the Mississippi River to move sediment and fresh water from the river into nearby basins, mimicking nature’s historic land-building …
Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
Louisiana’s Barataria Basin has experienced some of the highest rates of land loss in the country. Between 1932 to 2016, the region lost nearly 295,000 acres of land. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion has been a cornerstone restoration project in the state’s Coastal Master Plan and work to address this excessive land loss. The diversion is being designed to strategically mimic the natural riverine processes that built the Mississippi River Delta and to help build and maintain land in the degraded …
Large Scale Barataria Marsh Creation
This marsh creation project is in the Barataria Basin within a ribbon of wetlands stretching from the Mississippi River levee to the community of Lafitte known as the Barataria Landbridge. Historically, only a limited hydrological connection existed between the fresher upper basin and the saltier lower basin. Canals, erosion and subsidence have led to significant land loss in this area, exposing freshwater wetlands to saltwater intrusion and increased wave energy. This project will create marsh within a footprint of approximately …
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 …
Bayou L’Ours Ridge Restoration
Bayou L’Ours is one of several remnant natural ridges in the upper Barataria Basin. The goal of the Bayou L’Ours Ridge Restoration project is to revitalize this approximately 54,000-foot ridge along the bayou. This restoration project is designed to serve a multifaceted purpose, including the creation of vital coastal upland habitat, the restoration of natural hydrology and the establishment of a robust defense mechanism against waves and storm surge. By breathing new life into this historical ridge, the project seeks …
Mermentau Basin Hydrologic Restoration
The Mermentau Basin Hydrologic Restoration project will address persistent marsh flooding and lack of drainage in the southern Mermentau and Cameron-Creole watersheds. The project will utilize gravity drainage to direct water southward across Highway 82 into tidally connected canals within the Rockefeller National Wildlife Refuge, as well as a series of other hydrologic features. Along with other projects in the region, the Mermentau Basin Hydrologic Restoration project will relieve pressure on the Mermentau River, allowing for more efficient drainage through …
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 …
East Bayou Lafourche Marsh Creation
The East Bayou Lafourche Marsh Creation project is a Barataria Basin project in the 2023 Coastal Master Plan that will establish more than 33,000 acres of wetland habitat on the eastern side of Bayou Lafourche, along the scenic Caminada Headland. This project will serve multiple essential purposes, including the development of fresh wetland ecosystems, the rehabilitation of deteriorated marshlands and the mitigation of wave erosion. This project will help to replenish the devastated region still recovering from the impact of …
Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation
The Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation project is made up of two directly adjacent 2023 Coastal Master Plan projects, the Southeast Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation and East Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation. Each will strengthen the shoreline of the adjacent Calcasieu Lake and will work together synergistically to strengthen coastal resilience within the Chenier Plain. Southeast Calcasieu Lake Marsh Creation will create approximately 9,200 acres of marsh southeast of Calcasieu Lake. The new marsh will provide wetland habitat, reduce wave erosion and …
Eastern Terrebonne Landbridge – East
The Eastern Terrebonne Landbridge project extends across the eastern Terrebonne marshes and will be built in two phases. The eastern component, from Bayou Lafourche to Bayou Pointe-aux-Chênes, will be constructed in the first phase, and the western and central components, from Bayou Pointe-aux-Chênes to Bayou Terrebonne, will be built in the second phase. The project’s goal is to fill all open water within the landbridge footprint, leaving only a few bayous. This approach aims to restrict water flow from Terrebonne …
Belle Pass-Golden Meadow Marsh Creation
The Belle Pass-Golden Meadow Marsh Creation project will create approximately 29,000 acres of marsh in the Terrebonne Basin. This project will be located along both sides of Bayon Lafourche from just south of Galliano, through Leeville and down to Port Fourchon. Like much of Louisiana’s coast, this sediment starved stretch of Terrebonne Basin has seen significant wetland loss due to many existing factors including sea level rise, subsidence, and saltwater intrusion, which were compounded by the devastation of Hurricane Ida …
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 …