Engineering Design Guidelines used for Rainey Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Earthen Terraces
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PRESENTATION
Russ J. Joffrion, P.E.
Coastal Engineering Division
Office of Coastal Restoration and Management
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
LaSalle Building, 617 North, 3rd Street, Suite1078
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Abstract
Approximately 38,000 linear feet of earthen terraces has been constructed and planted in three open water areas located on the Rainey Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Vermillion Parish, Louisiana. The three project areas encompass approximately 640 acres of intermediate to brackish marsh within the central region of the sanctuary. Wind generated waves developed in these open water areas have caused a significant increase in the erosion of the shoreline. Earthen terraces have been primarily designed to create fisheries habitat while at the same time reduce wave heights developed in the vulnerable open water areas by reducing the fetch.
Due to the lack of available engineering design criteria for earthen terraces, the engineering parameters required for the design of the Rainey Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Earthen Terraces were developed using information from recently constructed terraces, interviews with biologists, and professional judgment. Therefore, this presentation will elaborate on the engineering design parameters required for the successful design and construction of earthen terraces in coastal Louisiana.
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