Subsurface Exploration and Containment Dike Design Criteria for Coastal Louisiana Marsh Restoration

Louisiana has embarked on the nation's most ambitious program to restore and protect their ecosystems, wetlands, and wildlife; provide storm protection; and support oil and gas development. Storm erosion has breached the majority of the barrier islands resulting in the development of fragmentary islands and new inlet openings. Environmentally sensitive marsh habitats have declined due to man's impact from oil and gas mining and Mother Nature's effects. One key strategy within the program is marsh restoration to stabilize the integrity of the barrier shorelines. Success criteria mandates that by Year 3 the marsh platform elevations are within the intertidal zone, defined from Mean High Water to Mean Low Water, and remain within this zone through Year 20. Critical steps in the platform design process include subsurface data collection, back-barrier sediment analyses, containment dike design, and prediction of the target platform elevation to achieve the success criteria.