We're almost finished with construction of the Chenier Ronquille Barrier Island restoration project. This project is restoring beach, dune, and marsh habitats. In May 2016, we began creating the barrier island. A hydraulic dredge has been scooping up sediment from the shoreline, mixing it with water, and pumping the mixture through a pipeline to the island. The mixture is then shaped into dune and marsh habitat by powerful earth moving equipment.
Construction of the new marsh began in September 2016 and was completed in January 2017. Beach and dune construction began in October 2016, and the project is expected to be complete by the end of February 2017.
The $35 million project was part of the third phase of early restoration after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This project will restore a portion of the barrier chain that separates Barataria Basin from the Gulf of Mexico. It will help protect the coastal ecosystems and communities in the Basin from storms. It will also reduce erosion from shorelines in Barataria Bay, which were heavily impacted by the spill.
Chenier Ronquille is one of four islands being constructed as part of the Louisiana Outer Coast Restoration Project. Shell Island recently wrapped major construction activities, Caillou Headlands is in the early stages of construction, and Breton Island is currently undergoing engineering and design.