SJB Group, LLC in Baton Rouge has been awarded the engineering and design contract for the Riverine Sand Mining / Scofield Island Restoration Project by the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Riverine Sand Mining / Scofield Island Restoration Project is expected to protect and preserve the structural integrity of the barrier shoreline at Scofield Island in Plaquemines Parish by repairing breaches and tidal inlets in the shoreline, reinforcing the existing shoreline with sand, and increasing the island’s width with back barrier marsh creation to increase longevity. As previous restoration efforts on the barrier headlands have utilized offshore sediment sources for restoration, a primary objective of this project will be to determine the feasibility of mining and transporting Mississippi River sediments for island reconstruction.

The conceptual project features include construction of approximately 100 acres of dune and 330 acres of supra tidal elevations of dune fore and back slopes and marsh platform. Additional features could include sand fencing, dike gapping for marsh platform tidal exchange and long-term construction of tidal ponds and other tidal features incorporated during the final design phases.

The project is located between Scofield Bayou and where Bay Coquette has merged with the Gulf of Mexico along the barrier shoreline. This project is funded and authorized by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA). The contract amount is $2.1 million.