Beneficial Uses of Dredged Sediment

Description:

The West Bay Restoration Project, located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, is adjacent to the Southwest Pass, which is one of the nation’s most critical commercial navigation channels. The Mississippi River Delta is one of the most ecological and economically valuable estuaries in the world, serving as a massive storm buffer and a nursery for Gulf Coast fisheries, waterfowl, and marine life. However, this specific area faced catastrophic environmental degradation over the years, having lost approximately 70% (over 32 square kilometers) of its coastal land due to subsidence, sea-level change, and historical river leveeing that starved the wetlands of natural sediment (Suir et al. 2025). This land loss has not only decimated wildlife habitats but also threatened the structural integrity of the federal navigation channel itself (Dredging Today 2021).

Completed in 2003, a sediment diversion project was undertaken in the area to reconnect the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin. At present, there are efforts underway to utilize Beneficial Use of Dredged Material (BUDM) strategies to facilitate land building. This plan involves millions of cubic yards of sediment from the adjacent navigation channel and placing it strategically within the shallow receiving bay (McQueen et al. 2020). This sediment will be used to construct marsh platforms which are designed to slow the flow of the diverted river water, thereby enhancing sediment deposition naturally. The project is funded jointly between USACE Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Navigation and the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), representing a multi-million-dollar project.

Using hydraulic suction dredges (both cutterhead and hopper dredgers), USACE has placed over 2.7 million cubic yards of sediment into West Bay in 2020, and an additional 14.2 million cubic yards in 2021 (Suir et al. 2025). To date, this project is considered a great success in Louisiana's coastal master plan as the mechanically placed dredged material and naturally captured river sediment has reversed the trend of open-water conversion, creating an estimated 9,800 acres of new, vegetated land since the diversion opened, with hundreds of new acres established during the 2020–2022 window alone (CWPPRA n.d.). This extended area provides more habitat for coastal marsh birds, estuarine fish, and migratory waterfowl.

Resources & Links:

• Suedel, B. C., McQueen, A. D., Wilkens, J. L., Saltus, C. L., Bourne, S. G., Gailani, J. Z., King, J. K., & Corbino, J. M. (2022). Beneficial use of dredged sediment as a sustainable practice for restoring coastal marsh habitat. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 18(5), 1162–1173.
• Suir, G. M., Saltus, C., & Corbino, J. M. (2025). Land reclamation in the Mississippi River Delta. Remote Sensing, 17(5), 878.
• Henkel, T. (2022). 2022 operations, maintenance, and monitoring report for West Bay Sediment Diversion (MR-0003). Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

Websites:

• U.S. Geological Survey. (2023, February 27). West Bay Sediment Diversion (MR-03): 2021 land-water classification.

References:

• Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). (1997). CWPPRA projects in the Mississippi River Delta Basin.
• Hrvacevic, Z. (2021, June 16). Two environmental projects honored at WEDA summit. Dredging Today.
• McQueen, A. D., Suedel, B. C., Wilkens, J. L., Saltus, C. L., Gailani, J. Z., King, J. K., & Corbino, J. M. (2020). Restoring marsh habitat with beneficial use of dredged sediment from a riverine environment. Journal of Dredging, 18(1), 1–19.
• Suir, G. M., Saltus, C., & Corbino, J. M. (2025). Land reclamation in the Mississippi River Delta. Remote Sensing, 17(5), 878.