Building Land in Months, Not Millennia
Marsh Creation Replaces Open Water With New Land

Engineers begin by establishing a project’s target elevation — the desired height of the new land — based on the elevation of adjacent healthy marshes. Knowing the target elevation and the size of the open water area to be filled, engineers can calculate how much sediment to pump.
Prior to pumping sediment, construction workers scoop soil from the bottom of the project site, pile it up along the site’s perimeter, then shape the soil to form flat-topped earthen containment dikes.
Slurry is pumped into the project site, filling the open water area to the desired depth. Sediment settles to the bottom of the fill area, and water runs off through weirs or gaps in the containment dikes.
After the sediment consolidates, workers degrade the dikes to the elevation of the surrounding marsh. The area might be left to revegetate naturally, or hand-plantings might be used to speed colonization. Within one to three years, the new land supports healthy marsh.