05/08/2002     

Vermilion Only on State Lists, Not National

In an article about the Bayou Vermilion District grant, The Times stated that "... the Vermilion River is considered to be the second most polluted river in the United States behind the Potomac" (The Buzz: Group Gets $416K to Help Clean up Vermilion, March 27). I am glad to say that the Vermilion River is not the second most polluted river in the United States. (And no, it is not the most polluted either.)

Various groups use many sets of criteria to come up with a list of "the most polluted rivers," resulting in many different lists. One list ranks the 50 rivers with the most tonnage of pollution dumped into it. The Vermilion is not on this list (the Mississippi River is No.1). The conservation group American Rivers puts out a list of the 20 most endangered rivers. The Vermilion River has successfully avoided this list, though the Potomac is on it. In fact, I cannot find any list of most polluted rivers on which the Vermilion does appear.

True, in the late 1960s the Vermilion River was considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world. This was because of poor water flow in the river resulting from the Atchafalaya Flood Control levees cutting off the Vermilion's natural source of fresh water; industrial discharge directly into the river; municipal sewer discharge; rainwater run-off from agriculture; and rainwater run-off carrying oil field wastes.

Because of the efforts of many groups and individuals the major causes of water pollution, direct industrial and municipal sewer discharge has, for the most part, been eliminated. With creation of the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District, the flow of fresh water into the Vermilion has been restored. The Vermilion is no longer one of the most polluted rivers in the world - or even the United States - but merely one of the most polluted rivers in Louisiana. Not something to be proud of but a great improvement over where we were 30 years ago.

The major source of pollutants today is rainwater run-off. Every time it rains, the rainwater carries all the litter, oils, fertilizers, pesticides, detergents, organics, loose soils and everything else you can imagine into roadside ditches then into bayous and coulees and from there into the river. The river eventually carries all this pollution down to the Vermilion Bay area, one of Lafayette's favorite fishing locales.

We have a ways to go to clean the river, but with everyone doing their part we can get there.

Kerry Collins, Executive Director
Bayou Vermilion District, Lafayette