Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and its partners broke ground on a new project recently. The River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp is a freshwater diversion providing important life-giving sediments for Louisiana’s largest and last remaining coastal freshwater marsh.

Years ago, man leveed off the Mississippi River, providing flood protection and stability for local communities, but in doing so, they deprived the Louisiana Delta of freshwater and essential nutrients. Cut off from the Mississippi River, the Maurepas Swamp has begun to wither and die slowly.