NOAA and partners are leading a massive 1,200-acre marsh creation project in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin that will create habitat, reduce erosion, and protect coastal communities.
The Upper Barataria Marsh Creation project is one of the largest habitat restoration efforts led by NOAA to date and will build upon the previous efforts to restore wetland habitats in Louisiana.
The contractor, Weeks Marine, Inc., began construction in late 2021. It will take approximately 26 months to complete the construction of the Upper Barataria project.
There are four construction stages:
- Late 2021 – Assemble equipment at the project site and begin construction;
- January to early May 2021 – Construct earthen dike to contain dredged material;
- Early May to early December 2022 – Dredge sediment from the Mississippi River and pump to contained areas for marsh creation;
- January to May 2023 – Remove equipment from the project site.
The construction process will fill target areas with approximately 8.4 million cubic yards of sediment dredged from the Mississippi River and pumped through a pipeline over 13 miles.
To learn more on the Upper Barataria Marsh Creation Project, please click HERE.