2015 Map of South Pass

About this map

Port Eads stands as a lonely outpost at the terminus of the Mississippi River delta, where the land fragmenting into the Gulf of Mexico creates a complex network of waterways. This 2015 maritime landscape is defined by the South Pass, a critical shipping artery flanked by vast marshlands and bayous. The intricate hydrology of Plaquemines Parish is visible through numerous named channels like Johnson Pass, Dennis Pass, and Cadro Pass, which weave between shallow water bodies such as Valentiers Pond and Loomis Pond. The area is subject to constant coastal change, shown here through the shifting boundaries of East Bay and Garden Island Bay. The infrastructure of the settlement is minimal, notably including the Port Eads Sanitary Canal, illustrating the engineering challenges of maintaining human presence at the very edge of the continental United States.