05/24/2004     

Bayou Vermilion District Keeps An Eye On The River
By RICHARD BURGESS
rburgess@theadvertiser.com

The seven days of rains that began May 11 flooded homes throughout Acadiana. As the water drained, much of it went into the Vermilion River, pushing the waterway well above its 10-foot flood stage and leaving high water standing in the Wilderness Trail area in Carencro for days after the rain stopped. Most of the coulees and bayous in St. Landry and Lafayette parishes flow into the Vermilion River, as well as some areas in north St. Martin Parish. Staff writer Richard Burgess talked with Bayou Vermilion District Executive Director Kerry Collins last week to discuss the peculiarities of the river that runs through the heart of Lafayette.

Q: Why is your office called the Bayou Vermilion District when the Vermilion is often referred to as a river, not a bayou?
A: There is some disagreement about the origin of the term bayou. I’ve always believed that it was bayuk, which is an American Indian term for little river. Bayou can mean a small river or a bay or inlet. The Vermilion is a bayou or a river. It’s both. Most maps refer to it as the Vermilion River. If there is an official name, I’m not sure what it is.

Q: What area drains into the Vermilion River?
A: Western and southern St. Landry Parish, most of Lafayette Parish — except for the western edge from Duson south, which flows into the Mermentau — the northwestern part of St. Martin Parish, and of course, most — if not all — of Vermilion Parish.

Q: The river level is generally discussed in terms of its height at the Surrey Street gauge in Lafayette. What’s the highest point reached there during the recent flooding?
A: 14 feet.

Q: What is the highest level the river has reached at Surrey Street in the past 10 years?
A: In 1993, it was 15.81. Then in 2001, during Tropical Storm Allison, it got to 15.63.

Q: At what level does the river start coming into homes in the city of Lafayette?
A: That’s kind of interesting. I know two individuals in 1993 who, when it got to 15.81, had a foot of water in their house. In 2001, when it hit 15.6, they had no water in the house. Why that is, it’s hard to speculate. There are so many factors to consider. The river is not flat. It rises in certain places and not others. It has bulges in it. It’s affected by tides, wind. Another thing that affects it is how much water is north of us. How much water is above us and how much water is below us. The worst-case scenario is when you have so much water at both ends. It’s like squeezing a balloon at both ends.

Q: After the heavy rains like those experienced here recently, how long does it take the river to return to a normal level?
A: It could be several weeks.

Q: Why is it taking so long for water levels in the river to go down?
A: A lot of water fell on the ground. The ground was saturated so the ground did not absorb much of the rain. It fell on the low-lying areas and its just now draining. There is a lot of water up there (north) that still has to come down before you see a significant drop.

Q: Where were the problem areas for flooding along the river?
A: Most of the flooding I’ve been hearing about is in north Lafayette. The Carencro and Wilderness Trail area and parts of western St. Martin Parish and St. Landry Parish. A lot of it may be the river no longer taking water and those waters back up and have no place to go.

Q: What is being done to control flooding problems along the river?
A: I think it starts with some good topographical maps, in combination with some surveys or various coulees, to survey depths and widths, and taking that information and actually building a computer model, which will hopefully predict the effects of rainfall. We would also like very much to secure some wetlands, for several reasons, one of which would be to use them as detention areas. Ultimately, in my opinion, the solution to flooding is detention and retention ponds (areas that that hold back draining water to control its release into the river), and of course some of these will have to be man made.

Q: It’s often been said the Vermilion is a peculiar river. What makes it different?
A: The river is a tidal river. You can see rising and dropping with the high and low tides. I think that’s one thing that makes it a little more difficult that a regular river to understand. Also what makes it difficult is the coulee system. The coulee system in Lafayette Parish does a wonderful job of taking water away from homes and off the streets and sending it to the river very quickly, and once it gets to the river, it has various effects, one of which is to stop the flow or reverse the flow of the river.

Q: Where does the river begin?
A: At the confluence of Bayou Bourbeaux and Bayou Fuselier, in southeastern St. Landry Parish.

Q: Where does it end?
A: Really, it ends in Vermilion Bay. Of course, name-wise the Vermilion River ends where it flows into Intracoastal Waterway at Intracoastal City.

Q: How long is the river?
A: Approximately 66 miles long.

Q: What is the mission of the Bayou Vermilion District?
A: Our main purpose is to improve the water quality and beautify the Vermilion River, and to promote it as a recreational and economic aspect. We have sort of taken on the task of being watchers of the river — students of the river — trying to learn its wily ways.

Q: How long have you been executive director of the district?
A: Three years now.