Intercoastal Levee Armoring

This project was completed through the Louisiana Field Office of Ducks Unlimited, Inc., in cooperation with Natural Resources Conservation Services. The project specifications incorporated Tied Concrete Block Mats to be used to stabilized the levee.

Flexamat Plus was the product selected by the local contractor. Flexamat Plus has a triple layered underlayment that includes a leno weave, a turf reinforcement layer, and a base layer of wood excelsior. This product provides immediate erosion protection while also allowing the native cane grass to thrive and become established within the matting.

All of the material needed for the levee armoring was transported to the remote site off the intercoastal waterway by barge. The barge was able to transport all 50 - 8' x 50' Flexamat Plus rolls and anchoring materials on single trip. An excavator working from the another barge placed and unrolled the material. The entire installation was completed within two days.

Within a week of project completion, Hurricane Ida made landfall on the state of Louisiana. Hurricane Ida was a deadly and destructive Category 4 Atlantic hurricane that became the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the state of Louisiana, behind only Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In terms of sustained winds at landfall (150 mph (240 km/h)), Ida tied Hurrican Laura as the strongest on record in the state. Unfortunately, this led to 30 deaths in Louisiana alone.

Flexamat Plus protected the levee during Hurricane Ida and it's aftermath. The Flexamat armored section of the levee held well, without signs of any erosion. The team from the local Ducks Unlimited Field Office was impressed that the Tied Concrete Block Mat performed so well when it was immediately put to the test during the strongest hurricane to ever make landfall on the Louisiana.