Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority

Location

CPRA proposes to locate the diversion complex in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana on the right descending bank of the Mississippi River, approximately at river mile 60.7 in the vicinity of the town of Ironton, LA and the Phillips 66 Alliance Refinery and approximately eight miles east of the town of Lafitte in Jefferson Parish, LA. The project boundaries are from the Mississippi River west bank to the Mid-Barataria Basin just west of the back levee.

Issue Addressed

The outfall area of the project, the Mid-Barataria Basin, is suffering from land loss due to hydrologic alteration, sediment deprivation, subsidence, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion. By re-establishing a connection between the Mississippi River and the basin, the MBSD Project would restore a riverine/estuarine connection and mimic historic deltaic sediment deposition.

Project Goals

The primary purpose of the MBSD project is to reintroduce freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River to the Basin to reestablish deltaic processes in order to build, sustain, and maintain land. The MBSD would be expected to build and nourish ten to thirty thousand acres of critical coastal wetlands over a 50 year period, being a top contributor to the 2012 Master Plan’s goal of achieving no net loss of land in the future. Secondary long-term goals include restoring and preserving critical coastal ecosystems.