Jesuit Bend

Louisiana’s only river-dredged mitigation bank
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Project Overview

The fully-approved Jesuit Bend Mitigation Bank is an RS-owned, 338-acre former marsh and cypress-tupelo swamp that converted to open water over the last century. The water was restored to marsh in the fall and winter of 2015-16.

Restoration Systems and our financial partner and dredging contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, have implemented a Phase One project restoring 247.4 acres from open water to fresh-to-intermediate marsh through re-establishment, enhancement, and rehabilitation of the degraded site. The Plaquemines Parish bank is listed on the Regional Internet Bank Tracking System (RIBITS) and provides mitigation credits for marsh impacts across the entire Deltaic Plain of Coastal Louisiana.

In order to restore the open water to marsh, the mitigation bank utilized sediments from the Mississippi River, just as called for in the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan and as nature once did before the river was tamed by levees.

1.32 million cubic yards of material was dredged from 90 feet below the river and pumped nearly five miles to the open water project footprint. After exiting the dredge pipe, the rich river sediments were manipulated by heavy equipment to achieve the precise elevations required by regulatory agencies to ensure project success.

If the dredged river sand were stacked on a football field — it would be taller than the Washington Monument. But the result here is much more flat. Planted with 211,000 plugs of marsh grass, the verdant new land is over seven city blocks.

The habitat restoration credit will be monitored over a 7 year period, under Long Term management for 50 years, and protected forever by a Conservation Servitude held by the Mississippi River Trust.

Looking north to NOLA
Jesuit Bend After
Overview of Jesuit Bank
Overview of Jesuit Bank
247 acres of inch-deep water
Monitoring in the airboat
Jesuit Bank under construction
Oblique project area schematic
Sunset at Jesuit Bend
Partners
Dredge Florida at Mile 69 in the Mississippi
Mississippi River Dredge Schematic
9 HUC Primary Service Area
Team
Jesuit Bend community below sea level from the site
Yellow Iron
Worth Creech and Allice
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0745.JPG
JB before

The Jesuit Bend Mitigation Bank is a success!  Being a lifelong resident of Plaquemines Parish, my only wish is that there were more projects like this one being built.  This project was constructed adjacent to my property, and over the course of a few months, sediment was pumped from the Mississippi river to convert what was open water back to healthy marsh as it was a century ago.  It was amazing what was accomplished in such a short time.  This new land will have a direct positive impact on flood protection for my community.

The guys from Restoration Systems did a great job of communicating what was coming by hosting a fun meet and greet to inform the community and to answer any questions about the project.  The project was completed with zero impact to the community and without leaving a footprint.

Jason Kaliszeski - Neighboring Landowner

Jesuit Bend Two-page Brochure

The Jesuit Bend Mitigation Bank (JBMB), located in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, is a Restoration Systems’ owned, 338-acre former freshwater marsh and cypress-tupelo swamp that has converted to open water over the last century.

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