The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group continues to implement the Restoring Living Shorelines and Reefs in Mississippi Estuaries project. Completed components of the project include construction of 1.8 miles of living shoreline and breakwaters and creation of approximately 137 acres of subtidal reef habitat as well as five acres of intertidal reef habitat.
Engineering and design of the final project component—the St. Louis Bay Living Shoreline—began in 2023. During these activities, the Trustees for the Mississippi Restoration Area determined that the size of the planned breakwater should be increased in order to provide the level of shoreline protection desired. This decision—along with the rise in construction materials, labor, and fuel costs—has increased the project’s costs by $3 million, bringing the total project budget to $33 million.
The Trustees evaluated the change in breakwater size and budget for consistency with the Oil Pollution Act Natural Resource Damage Assessment analysis and the National Environmental Protection Act environmental review conducted for the Phase IV Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessments (PDF, 1,198 pages) in 2015. Through this evaluation, the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group has determined that the project remains consistent with the analyses conducted in the 2015 plan. With these additional funds, the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group looks forward to completing the Restoring Living Shorelines and Reefs project.
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