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Water Levels for Bayou Vermilion at Surrey Street Bridge:
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The Bayou Vermilion District’s Bayou Operations crew and administration have one goal: cleaning up – and keeping clean – the Bayou Vermilion.
To do this, Bayou Operations takes a three-pronged approach:
Trash/debris removal
Bayou Operations crew regularly removes between 90 and 150 barrels (55 gal barrels, that is!) of floating debris per week from the Bayou Vermilion and its tributaries in Lafayette Parish. In addition to floating debris like plastic drink bottles and Styrofoam containers, the crew picks up, on average, 30 automobile tires and a wide variety of other large items (think: playground sets, furniture, appliances and electronics, ice chests, and others) every week.
In order to improve efficiency of our trash removal operation, the Bayou Vermilion District has installed several booms, the same type of booms used to contain oil spills, in various strategic locations along the Bayou Vermilion. These booms are positioned where a bayou or coulee feeds into the Bayou Vermilion channel, effectively catching the trash and debris before it enters into the main waterway. This allows the debris to collect in a single location for pick-up and it prevents the trash from littering the banks of the Bayou Vermilion.
Outreach and Education
In order to prevent new trash from being dumped or washed into the waterways, the Bayou Education and Recreation department focuses on education and outreach. Check out the “What is a Watershed?” page for a good explanation of how pollutants could enter the bayou.
Contact Danica Adams to schedule a bayou-themed school field trip or for a classroom visit about watersheds. 233-4077 x205 or greg@bayouvermilion.org. All age groups can be accommodated.
Grants
The Bayou Vermilion District was awarded a grant, through the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, for non-point source pollution abatement. This grant focuses on stormwater that, as it enters our waterways, carries with it a variety of pollutants from many different sources. Stormwater is the primary source of non-point source pollution.
This grant, called “A Comprehensive Strategy for Implementing Best Management Practices to Improve the Quantity and Quality of Stormwater Entering Vermilion River” has five different elements. Check out our LDEQ Grant page to learn more about it.
1.
Wetland plant propagation nursery
- this nursery will be used to grow native grasses, sedges, shrubs, vines, and trees. These will be given out at no cost to individuals and groups for restoration purposes.
2.
Demonstration rain garden - Rain gardens are a beautiful way to hold rain water long enough for it to soak into the ground, rather than draining into streets and storm drains. A rain garden should be constructed in a low area that already receives and holds rain water. The ground should be prepped by digging at least three feet down and layering aggregate. This aggregate increases the water-holding capacity of the area, thus increasing the chance for it all to soak into the ground.
3.
Demonstration pervious pavement - Parking lots and other paved areas prevent rain water from soaking into the soil - instead, the water rolls off of the hard, impervious surface, picking up pollutants such as oil, trash, debris, automotive wastes such as antifreeze and coolants on its way into a waterway. By installing pervious pavement, rainwater is able to "soak in," through the pavement, and into the ground below. The pourous areas actually trap pollutants such as oil and sludge and prevents it from washing away into bayous.
4.
Rain barrels - through this grant, the BVD has hosted several rain barrel workshops. At these workshops, participants learned how to construct and maintain their own rain barrel. All materials were provided, free, by the BVD, and participants left with their own rain barrel that afternoon. Email jessica@bayouvermilion.org or call (337) 769-7283 for a tipsheet or more details on how to do it yourself.
5.
Demonstration Detention pond - A detention pond is a pond or small lake that is designed to receive runoff water from surrounding areas and hold it indefinitely until the water either soaks into the ground or evaporates into the atmosphere. This detention of water and the pollutants it carries with it, helps prevent chemicals, trash and debris from entering the bayou, and will aid in the reduction of flooding problems downstream. Our demonstration detention pond is located between Bayou Vermilion District's Vermilionville and Jean Lafitte National Park. Upon completion, the pond will be free of water hyacinths, planted along the edges, and have informational signs posted.
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