Construction kicks off on Lake Borgne marsh creation

Louisiana Governor, John Bel Edwards, announced the start of construction on the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project in St. Bernard Parish yesterday.

The project is a part of the large-scale restoration strategy for the Pontchartrain Basin to reestablish the bay rim and intertidal marsh habitat in the area. 

Commenting the latest news, Governor Edwards said: “The Lake Borgne project and others like it play a vital role in reversing the trend of land loss across Louisiana, and this project represents significant progress in the fight to preserve our coast.” 

Upon completion, the project will create and nourish approximately 2,770 acres of marsh on the southern shoreline of Lake Borgne near Shell Beach. 

“At over 2,700 acres restored, the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation project will be the largest marsh creation project by acreage ever built by CPRA,” CPRA Chairman Chip Kline said. “This massive effort is just one component of our ambitious dredging program, and we look forward to continuing the important work to restore coastal Louisiana.”

“To complete the Lake Borgne project, we’re using 13 million cubic yards of dredged material to restore deteriorating marsh from the eastern shore of Bayou Yscloskey extending over four miles toward Lena Lagoon,” added CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase said.

“We’re excited to be making progress on another major restoration effort in St. Bernard Parish that will protect the hurricane risk reduction system around the Greater New Orleans region.”

Construction has begun on the containment dikes, which will allow the dredged material to fill all areas of open water and nourish the deteriorating marsh while minimizing the burden on existing marshland.