The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) continues the work on Spanish Pass Ridge and Marsh Restoration project in Barataria Basin.
The project – part of the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material program better known as BUDMAT – is aimed to restore 78 acres of marsh ridge habitat.
This program uses dredged river sediment to build new barrier islands and protect Plaquemines Parish from hurricane storm surge. Prior to BUDMAT the dredged material was disposed of in the most cost efficient way possible, dumped off of the Louisiana continental shelf in the Gulf of Mexico.
Once completed, this approximately $18 million project will provide coastal upland habitat, restore natural hydrology and provide a buffer to attenuate wave and storm surge impact.
At the moment crews are constructing the perimeter dike prior to dredge and fill placement.