Project cleaning up once-polluted Vermilion
By KEVIN BLANCHARD, Acadiana bureau
kblanchard@theadvocate.com

Advocate staff photo by Bryan Tuck

Bayou Vermilion District workers John Stewart, left, and Joany Boudreaux pick up trash Thursday morning that has collected in a boom set in a small channel that feeds into Bayou Vermilion

LAFAYETTE -- Once the third-most polluted river in the country, during the 1970s, Bayou Vermilion is clearing up because of the work of the Bayou Vermilion District -- a model program for the remainder of the state, a Department of Environmental Quality official said Thursday.

"There's not another program like this in the state," said John Clark, a water quality project manager with DEQ.

But there's plenty of work left to be done before the Vermilion can be considered acceptable for activities such as fishing and swimming, Clark said.

The DEQ is teaming up with the Bayou Vermilion District on a three-year program designed to raise the water quality of the river to the point it can be safely used for recreational uses, said Kerry Collins, executive director of the Vermilion district.

The $955,000 program -- with $416,000 from a DEQ grant and the remainder funded by the district -- is focusing on three areas:

-- Encouraging cattle ranchers to plant vegetation along ditches to better break down fecal matter before it reaches the Vermilion.

-- Establishing a home sewer inspection program in Lafayette Parish to cut down on septic tank seepage into the river.

-- Eradication of debris and litter on the river.

The district is funded by a Lafayette Parish property tax and grants from agencies such as DEQ.

Thursday, a district team took a boat out on the river -- as they do every day -- to collect that day's portion of the tons of trash collected every year. The district staff has set up floating booms -- normally used to contain oil spills -- at the mouths of the several cuts and coulees that feed the Vermilion. Not only do the booms keep the trash out of the river, they also corral floating debris into one area for easier collection, said Paul LaHaye, the district's river project manager.

Workers still must manually pick up each plastic drink bottle, beer can and oil carton, then place them into plastic trash barrels. About 25 barrels a day are collected, LaHaye said. To speed up the process, engineering students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette have developed a large conveyor belt device that will be outfitted onto a barge. When the conveyor belt is lowered into the water, it can pull up all the trash in bulk, freeing up man hours for other tasks.

A year ago, the district obtained a barge with a mechanical arm to lift large debris from the river and banks. On Thursday, LaHaye pulled a rusted stove and range from a pile of appliances lining the bank. All the items taken from the river -- sinks, tires, oil drums, air conditioners and boats -- are inventoried at district headquarters so that DEQ can study the pattern, Clark said.

The district hopes a cleaner river more acceptable for recreational use will contribute to the quality of life in Lafayette. Voters approved a property tax last fall to help fund a $4 million bond proposal to pay for capital projects along the river.

While half the money will be used to leverage federal grants to reduce sediment, control erosion and encourage wildlife in the river, some of the money will be spent on projects such as boat launches, river boardwalks, park areas and exhibits.

For details, visit the district's Web site at http://www.bayouvermilion.org