Lake Borgne is located southeast of Lake Pontchartrain, separated by The Rigolets and the stretches of I-10 and Highway 90 that connect New Orleans East to St. Tammany Parish and the Northshore. As such, Lake Borgne is a critical first line of defense from hurricanes and other storms in the Gulf of Mexico that threaten the southeast part of the state.

Over the last 50 years, saltwater intrusion, subsidence, and major storms have turned the previously thriving marshland in and around Lake Borgne into open water.

The historic Lake Borgne Marsh Creation project is Louisianas largest marsh creation effort by acreage to date. It will use 13 million cubic yards of dredged material, enough to fill the Superdome roughly three times, to restore more than 2,700 acres of marsh along the south shore of the lake in St. Bernard Parish. Construction began in 2022, and the project is expected to be complete in 2025.

During the first 18 months of construction, 4.5-feet-tall dikes were built to create seven containment cells. Dredge material will then be used to fill the cells, followed by vegetative planting to restore marsh and strengthen the natural buffer the area provides. In 2023, four of the containment cells were completed and the remaining three are anticipated to be complete in 2024.

The project also reinforces the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) around the Greater New Orleans region by providing an added layer of defense and protection, demonstrating the best of CPRA's approach to integrated restoration and protection.