Project Location
Louisiana's Barataria/Plaquemines barrier island system, which extends approximately 25 miles along the shoreline from West Grand Terre to Sandy Point.
Project Description
This project involves the creation or restoration of up to 371 acres of beach and dune habitat along approximately 14,000 linear feet of shoreline and 160 acres of intertidal marsh habitat on West Grand Terre Island in Jefferson Parish, construction of rock revetment to protect the restored back barrier marsh, and construction of a gulfside rock revetment and spur to capture sand transported by longshore currents.
Issue Addressed
Louisiana's Barataria/Plaquemines barrier island system, which extends approximately 25 miles along the shoreline from West Grand Terre to Sandy Point, is
experiencing island narrowing and land loss due to a complex interaction of environmental factors, hurricane impacts, and human activity. These barrier islands were also heavily impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
Project Goals
This project will restore and enhance interior wetlands, which would benefit interior wetlands and Gulf estuarine dependent marine species. The project would also protect, restore, and maintain ecologically important breeding and nesting habitat for Gulf species such as colonial nesting waterbirds, including the brown pelican, Louisiana's state bird, and migratory shorebirds, including the endangered piping plover. In addition, the project would promote community resilience and reduce risk to infrastructure by providing storm surge and wave attenuation, while maintaining shoreline integrity and increasing the island's width and longevity.
Verify Date
1/12/2021