Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has completed the dredging and maintenance work on six crevasses as part of the Delta Wide Crevasses Project.
For centuries, the Mississippi River has built Louisiana's delta by carrying sediment into open water and creating new land. The Delta Wide Crevasses Project works with that natural process to restore and sustain coastal wetlands.
Crevasses are openings in natural banks that allow freshwater and sediment to flow into open water areas. As sediment is deposited, new land and marsh can form.
Funded by Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), this project began in 1999. Using dredges and excavators, crews create and maintain crevasses that allow the Mississippi River to deliver sediment rich freshwater into the delta. Periodic maintenance keeps these pathways open allowing sediment and freshwater to continue to reach surrounding wetlands, CPRA said.
Since the project began, multiple phases have created new crevasses and maintained existing ones. A 2023 assessment found that the project had gained 795 acres of land over 15 years. The assessment also identified this method as one of the most cost-effective ways to build land.