The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved the Final Phase 2 Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #3.3: Large-scale Barataria Marsh Creation: Upper Barataria Component (PDF, 155 pages).
The project was initially evaluated for engineering and design funding in the 2018 Strategic Restoration Plan. We then released the draft restoration plan in March 2020 and accepted public comment through April 17, 2020. The 1,207 acre marsh creation project approved in the plan will be led by NOAA, in partnership with other federal and state trustees, and private contractors.
- The project includes filling areas to create an intertidal marsh platform that will support marsh plants and support healthy wetland habitat, which can lessen the impact of future storms by dissipating wave energy.
- The project will use approximately 8.4 million cubic yards of sediment dredged from the Mississippi River.
- A single construction phase will be used to maximize cost effectiveness. The estimated construction duration is 26 months. Bids are expected to be solicited in 2021.
- The total estimated cost is approximately $176 million, including previous design efforts.
This project is intended to continue the process of using restoration funding to restore and conserve wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats in the Barataria Basin, where the greatest oiling impacts from the Deepwater Horizon spill occurred. The trustees will continue to consider and plan for additional wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitat restoration projects in the future.