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