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Location
The project site is in the Barataria Basin section of Plaquemines Parish, off the west bank of the Mississippi River near the town of Triumph, along Bayou Grand Liard and Chicharas Bay.
Issue Addressed
The area has experienced wetland loss due to a variety of forces including subsidence,
salt-water intrusion, a lack of sediment supply, and activities associated with oil and gas
industries. A combination of ridge loss and interior wetland loss has resulted in large expanses of open water.
Project Goals
The project restores the structural and habitat functions of Grand Liard Bayou and its flanking marshes, creating approximately 328 acres of marsh while sustaining and nourishing an additional 140 acres of existing marsh..
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- The majority of the area’s bayou ridges and the marshes flanking them have disappeared. The Grand Liard ridge is the most prominent one remaining, separating areas that are deteriorating into open water.
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- The project design includes restoration of a ridge on the east bank of Bayou Grand Liard and the creation of new marsh to the east. Later, containment dikes will be gapped to encourage natural hydrology and habitat.
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- Marsh deterioration in areas like Grand Liard is due to a number of factors, including subsidence, sea level rise, and saltwater intrusion via manmade canals and pipeline routes. Not only does the habitat suffer, traditional storm surge protection is lost for more populated areas.
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- The enhancement of the natural ridge reestablishes the demarcation of waterway and marsh habitat. A containment dike will enclose a new marsh area filled with slurry that will be planted with plugs of smooth cordgrass. Upon settlement, gaps will be made in the marsh containment dikes to encourage establishment of natural marsh hydrology and fisheries support functions.
Project Type:
Marsh Creation
Project Information:
Project number: BA-68
Estimated Total Cost: $$41.9 million
Land Benefited: 502 acres