GIWW (Gulf Intracoastal Waterway) to Clovelly Hydrologic Restoration (BA-02)

The constructed rock breakwater located in Bay L’Ours will assist in reducing wave energies before they impact the shore and will also arouse the curiosity of local waterfowl such as these pelicans.

Location

The center of the project area is in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, approximately 5 miles southeast of Cut Off. It is bordered to the north by a pipeline canal north of the Clovelly Canal, to the west by West Fork Bayou L’Ours, to the east by Little Lake, and to the south by oilfield canals. The project encompasses 14,948 acres of primarily intermediate (94%) and brackish (6%) marshes.

Problems

The wetlands in the project area are of great importance to the ecological future of the Barataria estuary and to the protection of adjacent developed areas. The area is losing approximately 450 acres per year due to channelization, shoreline erosion, and saltwater intrusion.

Restoration Strategy

The project features include three rock weirs and four canal plugs. There is also a plug with a flap-gated culvert and one with a variable crest weir. In addition, there is a weir with a barge bay in the Clovelly Canal, 5,000 feet of shoreline reestablishment along project-area canals, and 6,000 feet of lake-rim reestablishment at Bay L’Ours. Finally, the spoil and marsh banks along canals in the project area’s southern perimeter are being maintained.

 

Progress to Date

The project was divided into two contracts in order to expedite implementation. The first contract was to install most of the weir structures. The second contract was to install bank protection, one weir, and one plug. The construction of the project’s unit 1 was completed in November 1997. Unit 2 was completed in October 2000.The O&M plan was signed in 2002. This project is on Priority Project List 1.

This winch which is permanently attached to the variable crest, water control structure located right off Briton Canal, will help to configure the structure according to a pre-determined water management plan.

The project is on Priority Project List (PPL) 1.

The Federal Sponsor is Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Approved Date: 1991
Project Area: 14,948 acres
Approved Funds: $12.7 M
Total Est. Cost: $12.8 M
Net Benefit After 20 Years: 175 acres
Status: Completed October 2000
Project Type: Demonstration: Hydrologic Restoration

Caminada Headlands Back Barrier Marsh Creation – Increment 2 (BA-193)

Dredged material from the Gulf of Mexico will be pumped into open-water areas which will create 250 acres of back barrier marsh and nourish 293 acres of emergent marsh behind 4 miles of the Caminada Beach.

Location

The Caminada Headland is defined as the area south of Louisiana Highway 1 between Belle Pass and Caminada Pass. The Project is located directly behind Caminada headland beach east of Bayou Moreau and west of Elmer’s Island. The Project is located in CWPPRA Planning Region 2, Barataria Basin, in Lafourche and Jefferson Parishes.

Problems

The Project is located in an especially dynamic area of the Louisiana Coast, experiencing some of the highest shoreline retreat rates in Louisiana averaging 41.4 feet/year over the last century.  Between 2006 and 2011 shoreline migration increased dramatically, exceeding 80 ft/yr near Bay Champagne and 110 ft/yr near Bayou Moreau. The increased losses occurred after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 as the breaches remained open for an extended length of time which were then exacerbated by Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. The prolonged breaches greatly increased the net export of sediment from the headland.

Restoration Strategy

The goals of this project are to: 1) Create and/or nourish 543 acres of emergent back barrier marsh, by pumping sediment from an offshore borrow site; 2) Create a platform upon which the beach and dune can migrate, reducing the likelihood of breaching, increasing the retention of overwashed sediment, improving the longevity of the barrier shoreline, and protecting wetlands and infrastructure to the north and west. The marsh creation and nourishment cells are designed to minimize impacts on existing marsh and mangroves.  Assuming some natural recruitment, vegetative plantings are planned for 50% of the project area, with half planted at TY3 and half at TY5 (if needed). Containment dikes will be degraded or gapped by TY3 for estuarine organism access. The project would result in approximately 160 net acres over the 20-year project life and would work synergistically with Caminada Headland Beach and Dune Restoration Projects (BA-45 and BA-143), as well as Caminada Headland Back Barrier Marsh Creation Project (BA-171).

Progress to Date

The 30% design review and 95% design review meetings were held on July 10, 2018 and October 25, 2018, respectively. The Phase II Request for construction funding was presented to the CWPPRA Tech Committee on December 6, 2018.

This project is on Priority Project List 25.

The Federal Sponsor is EPA

The Local Sponsor is CPRA

Mississippi River Sediment Delivery System – Bayou Dupont (BA-39)

Marshes in the project area have degraded to open water with only scattered clumps of low-lying vegetation remaining. Marsh degradation has resulted from a combination of lack of natural fresh water and sediment input, subsidence and the dredging of oil and gas canals.

The proposed project included dredging sediment from the Mississippi River for marsh creation and pumping it via pipeline into an area of open water and broken marsh west of the Plaquemines Parish flood protection levee. The material was spread over the project area and ontained primarily with existing land features. Newly-constructed low containment dikes were necessary only along a limited portion of the project area. Native intertidal marsh vegetation was planted post construction.

The proximity of the project to the Mississippi River presented a prime opportunity to employ a pipeline delivery system that utilized the sediment resources from the river to restore and create wetlands. Unlike most marsh creation projects that involve borrowing fill material from adjacent shallow water areas within the landscape, this project utilized renewable river sediment, thus minimizing disruption of the adjacent water and marsh platform.

The Bayou Dupont project represents the first example of pipeline transport of sediment from the river to build marsh as a CWPPRA project. Results from this project helped demonstrate the value and efficacy of greater use of pipeline-conveyed river sediments for coastal restoration.

The project is located adjacent to Bayou Dupont and southeast of Cheniere Traverse Bayou in the vicinity of Ironton in Plaquemines Parish and Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The general area lies west of LA Hwy 23 and just north of the Myrtle Grove Marina within the Barataria Basin.

Phase 1 was approved in January 2003. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) Coastal Engineering Division performed the engineering and design services. Design was completed in November 2007; Phase 2 was approved in February 2008, and construction activities began in April of 2009. Approximately 25,935 linear feet of containment dike was used to create approximately 484 acres of sustainable marsh in Marsh Creation Areas 1 and 2. Increment 2 (funded through ARRA) added approximately 84 acres of marsh within 6,241 linear feet of containment dikes. The contractor demobilized completely by May 10, 2010. Final inspection was held on May 25, 2010.

This project is on Priority Project List 12.

The Federal Sponsor is EPA

The Local Sponsor is CPRA

Barataria Bay Waterway East Side Shoreline Protection (BA-26)

The banks of the Dupre Cut have eroded considerably as a
result of vessel wakes. Large breaches in the banks
exposed the adjacent marsh to increased water exchange,
tidal energy, and saltwater intrusion.

The objective of this project was to rebuild and stabilize
the east bank of the Dupre Cut. A stronger bank would
reduce erosion and help reestablish wetlands by allowing
sediment accretion on the leeward side of the foreshore
rock dike.

The project plan involved the construction of over 3 miles
of foreshore rock dike along the east bank of the Dupre
Cut to protect adjacent marshes from shoreline erosion.
This rock dike extends above the surface of the water and
will protect the fragile marsh area from boat wakes
generated within the BBWW.

The project is located in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, on
the east bank of the Dupre Cut portion of the Barataria Bay
Waterway, north of the Lafitte Gas and Oil Field and south
of the subsided land reclamation effort known as “the
Pen.”

 

Construction was completed in June 2001. Baseline
monitoring information has been collected and will be
used to evaluate the project’s effectiveness. The O&M
Plan was signed in October 2002. This project is on
Priority Project List 6.

The Federal Sponsor is NRCS.

The Local Sponsor is CPRA.

Little Lake Shoreline Protection/Dedicated Dredging Near Round Lake (BA-37)

The Little Lake mapping unit has high wetland loss caused by shoreline erosion, subsidence, and channel construction. The project is located in an area protecting approximately 3,000 acres of fragile interior marshes between the Little Lake shoreline and Bayou L’Ours Ridge. Project area wetlands are subject to high shoreline erosion rates (20 to 40 feet per year) and subsidence deteriorating interior marshes. Without construction, the project area marsh was expected to convert to mainly open water over the next 20 years.

The project’s goals were to:
1) prevent erosion along roughly 4 miles of Little Lake shoreline;
2) create 488 acres of intertidal wetlands along the Little Lake shoreline;
3) nourish and maintain 532 acres of intermediate marsh; and
4) reduce land loss rates by 50 percent over the 20-year life of the project.

The project consists of two major features, a shoreline protection structure and a marsh creation and nourishment area. The 25,976 ft foreshore rock dike was constructed by placing rocks on top of a geotextile foundation. The dike was constructed using three lifts and include gaps every 1,000 to 1,500 ft for fisheries access.

The marsh creation and nourishment phase of this project consisted of containment dikes, marsh creation in open water areas, and marsh nourishment over existing marsh. Approximately, 920 acres of marsh were created and nourished through placement of 3,165,121 cubic yards of sediment from Little Lake. The marsh creation area was planted with 17,000 Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) plugs.

The project is located in the central Barataria Basin in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. The project area is bounded by the East and West Forks of Bayou L’Ours and the southern shoreline of Little Lake from Plum Point westward to Breton Canal.

This project was selected for Phase I (engineering and design) funding at the January 2002 Task Force meeting and for Phase II (construction) funding in November 2003. Construction was completed in 2007.

The project is listed on Priority Project List 11.