Contact: Gordon Helm FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(301) 713-2370 4/19/95
In an effort to combat severe shoreline erosion along the north shore of Lake Salvador, La., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration s National Marine Fisheries Service has developed a $1.01 million project that will employ innovative, non-traditional shoreline protection techniques.
The shoreline area, which includes 4,070 acres of fresh water marsh and shallow open- water habitat, has suffered severe land loss caused by shoreline erosion. The demonstration project will battle shoreline erosion in areas of severe wetlands loss where traditional shoreline stabilization structures have been ineffective. The protection and restoration of these coastal wetlands is critical to sustaining habitats used by marine life and water fowl.
The project site is located along 4.2 miles of the north shore of Lake Salvador, bounded to the east by Baie du Chactas and to the west by Bayou des Allemandes on the St. Charles-Lafourche Parish lines. The project area extends inland one mile into the Lake Salvador Wildlife Management Area. Erosion rates in the area approach 13 feet per year. Erosion has breached the lake rim at several locations, allowing tides and waves to erode the highly organic marsh surface, forming large, shallow ponds in the interior marsh. Since 1956, more than 1,000 acres of marsh, representing approximately 25% of the land area, have been lost to erosion.
The project is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of several types of berms and segmented breakwaters built in areas of poor quality soil. Unconsolidated mucky soils, such as those found in the northern Lake Salvador wetlands, make traditional hard shoreline stabilization techniques ineffective. The project will maintain or recreate the historic shoreline along this section of the lake and re-establish the original waterflow through the marsh to reduce land loss.
Federal funds for the project are part of the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service will provide 75 percent of the funds; Louisiana will pay for 25 percent of the project with state funds. Louisiana's Department of Natural Resources will implement the project.