Louisiana’s first living shoreline protects levees, restores wetlands

With $4.5 million dollars in funding from NOAA under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, Jefferson Parish is building the first living shoreline to protect a federal levee system.

Stretching from Bucktown Harbor to the Bonnabel Boat Launch, the living shoreline will consist of nine curved rock jetties.

Also, they will provide an added layer of protection for the levees and allow up to 35 acres of marshland and other habitat to be restored.

The shoreline, which was designed by the engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, will also include a protected waterway for kayaking and standup paddle boarding.  

“The Bucktown Living Shoreline is a pilot project in coastal resilience and recreation,” said Jefferson Parish Councilwoman, Jennifer Van Vrancken.

“It creates another speed bump for storms, restores marsh for a healthier lake, and creates a blueway for healthier people. Creating a better ecosystem makes Lake Pontchartrain more hospitable to the delicious seafood Bucktown is known for.”

The project represents the first time a living shoreline will be used to protect a federal levee system.

The vegetation and other material used in living shorelines absorbs and dissipates wave energy, limiting coastal erosion.

Living shorelines also trap sediment, allowing them to grow in height as sea level rises.