Date of Award
12-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Engineering and Applied Science - Civil & Environmental
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Major Professor
Satish Bastola
Second Advisor
Ioannis Georgiou
Third Advisor
Michael Miner
Abstract
This analysis examined how private sand mining within the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge, LA and Belle Chasse, LA affected its sand budget from 2004-2012.
Records assembled indicated that private mining removed an annual average of 2.8 million cubic yards of sand. A HEC-RAS one-dimensional sediment transport model was utilized to assess this practice. Three scenarios were simulated: a baseline without mining, conditions reflecting documented mining rates, and a hypothetical case with excessive extraction.
Results suggest that private mining constituted approximately 26 percent of the total sand deficit between Baton Rouge and Belle Chasse. Mining appeared to cause localized changes in bed elevation and slope, with the reach between Bonnet Carré and New Orleans showing a modest tendency toward degradation. Despite these local effects, the scale of private mining was not large enough to produce detectable downstream impacts on sediment transport dynamics or affect maintenance dredging at Southwest Pass.
Recommended Citation
McMann, Brett, "Private Sand Mining in the Mississippi River: Sediment Budget and Morphology Implications between Baton Rouge and Belle Chasse, Louisiana" (2025). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3333.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3333
Included in
Civil Engineering Commons, Geomorphology Commons, Hydraulic Engineering Commons, Hydrology Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.