Mike Hooks, LLC, a family-owned Louisiana-based dredging company, is moving forward with the largest marsh creation project in the history of the State of Louisiana – the Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project (LBMC).
Yesterday, their Senior Director of Government Affairs, Michael Gerhardt, and Chief Financial Officer, Jasun Harmon, had the privilege of touring a portion of the project with CPRA’s Chairman Chip Kline and Executive Director Bren Haase, St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis and council members, State Senator Sharon Hewitt, State Representative Ray Garofalo, and key staff from the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities.
Following the tour, invited guests, stakeholders, and the press gathered in Shell Beach along the banks of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet “MRGO” and next to the Hurricane Katrina Memorial to hear state and local officials speak on the importance of LBMC and the robust restoration program that is currently unfolding in St. Bernard Parish, as part of the state’s 50-year, $50 billion Master Plan.
Lake Borgne Marsh Creation Project in St. Bernard Parish is the largest marsh creation project in the history of the State of Louisiana and is funded by the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Program.
Just one of the dredged material placement cells is larger than any single restoration project CPRA has previously completed, and there are seven cells.
According to Mike Hooks, the project will reestablish the bay rim and create, nourish, and restore over 2,700 acres of degraded intertidal marsh habitat, creating natural storm surge protection from hurricanes and reversing land loss.
Around 13 million cubic yards of dredged material are being pumped from a dredge two miles out and strategically placed into a 30-mile ring of containment dike, built to a height that accounts for sea level rise.
The project is expected to have a lifespan of 20+ years.
Expected completion is summer 2025.