What to know about the feds' levee experiment in Metairie
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2024/07/24/1721856096577.gif)
Workers are busy building a "living shoreline" along Metairie's levee as part of a $15+ million overhaul of the lakefront from Bucktown Harbor to Bonnabel Boat Launch.
Why it matters: It's the first time this type of project has been used to protect a federal levee, NOAA says, and is seen as an experiment for other levees in metro New Orleans.
The big picture: The 17-foot-high levee built after Hurricane Katrina provides essential storm protection, NOAA says, but it also sinks into Louisiana's soft soil and is battered by waves.
- A living shoreline uses rocks and plants to protect it from erosion by absorbing wave energy.
- For Metairie's living shoreline, the parish added nine rock jetties that create an additional buffer for storms and waves.
- Workers this month are pumping in sediment between the jetties and the levee to create 22 acres of marshland. The marsh traps additional sediment, allowing it to grow as sea levels rise, NOAA says.
Zoom in: Native aquatic plants and underwater grass beds will be added to the marsh to create nursery habitat for species such as blue crabs, the Gulf sturgeon and rangia clams, officials say.
Zoom out: The living shoreline is part of a multi-year project that focuses on increasing recreational access to Lake Pontchartrain while making the levee more resistant to storms, Jefferson Parish councilwoman Jennifer Van Vrancken previously told Axios New Orleans.
- The Bucktown Boardwalk and the Bird's Nest Learning Pavilion are already open.
- The parish plans to open a paddle canal in November, according to Michelle Gonzales, director of the parish's ecosystem and coastal management department.
- The canal will be a protected area for non-motorized crafts, like kayaks and stand-up paddle boards, to launch and navigate from Bucktown to the Bonnabel boat launch.
- Kiteboard access points also are scheduled to open in November, Gonzales said.
- Future projects include a large playground in 2025, a two-story pavilion for community events and improvements to the harbor.
By the numbers: The funding comes from federal, state and local sources, including the National Park Service, NOAA, Louisiana State Parks and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Go deeper: