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Commission approves Deer Island restoration variances and federal consistency certification
Summary
After staff review and agency concurrence, the commission recommended approval of variances and a federal consistency certification for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-led Deer Island habitat restoration project that will fill water bottoms and build containment cheniers to restore roughly 400 acres of habitat.
The Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources voted to recommend the executive director approve requested variances and find the Deer Island restoration project consistent with the Mississippi Coastal Program.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) application seeks to restore Deer Island’s historic footprint by placing fill on water bottoms and establishing upland and marsh habitat, plus a nearshore segmented breakwater. DMR staff told the commission the project would convert about 272 acres of unvegetated coastal water bottom and ultimately restore roughly 400 acres of productive habitats including dunes, maritime forest and tidal marsh.
DMR staff summarized permitting history and technical details: the subaward funding comes through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) from RESTORE and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF); the project footprint is roughly 70 acres of constructed island with an outer cheniere about 4,520 linear feet (built to a +6-foot crest) and an inner cheniere about 1,975 linear feet (built to a +3-foot crest). Interior containment capacity for dredged sediment was estimated between 470,000 and 570,000 cubic yards, depending on sediment composition. DMR records show an agency authorization issued August 31, 2018, and the Corps’ authorization issued April 9, 2021; the construction contract was awarded December 3, 2024, with a notice to proceed issued in January 2025.
The application requested variances to Mississippi Coastal Program provisions (Mississippi Coastal Program, chapter 8 §114) for filling coastal wetlands and sensitive coastal wetlands. Staff and cooperating agencies — including MDEQ, the Secretary of State’s office and the Department of Archives and History — reported no objections; DMR staff cited public notices (Sun Herald publication) and said no public comments were received during the DMR comment period. Staff recommended approval because the conversion of unvegetated water bottoms to productive habitats would enhance marsh stability, provide wildlife habitat (including for migratory birds and species of recreational and commercial importance) and offer storm-damage reduction benefits to the Mississippi mainland.
Commissioners moved and the commission recommended approval of the requested variances and concurrence with the Corps’ federal consistency certification. The vote carried on voice vote.
Staff noted the restored island will be monitored for five years after construction to evaluate establishment of habitat and the success of thin-layer placement; the county or municipality placing dredged material will manage dredging under memoranda of agreement that stipulate required elevations.
The project aims both to restore habitat and provide a beneficial-use location for dredged sediments that would otherwise be removed from the coastal system. DMR staff emphasized that using sediment for island restoration reduces upland disposal costs for counties and municipalities.
The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the executive director as the agency’s formal concurrence under the state coastal consistency process.
