LCPA-West
Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West
September 23, 2001 Update

LCPA-West board members are still meeting regularly every Monday night at 7:00 p.m. at Willis Boudreaux’s camp in Catahoula. Thank you Mr. Willis for the use of your camp. We have a good supper and anyone is invited to attend. Board members have been working with Senator Craig Romero, Parish President Scott Angelle, and Atchafalaya Basin Master Plan officials trying to get old natural bayous open to improve water quality in the basin. We have presented a map with twenty-four spots of natural bayous (we would like to see reopened) to local and state officials. Outlooks are encouraging. These spots range from the top of Whiskey Bay to below the Buffalo Cove area. Most of these bayous were plugged through negligent depositing of spoils and east-west dredging of pipelines and locations, killing the natural flow of the waters and crippling our fisheries (sport and commercial). Our swamps and canals are infested by the growth of hydrilla and there are fish kills from the Henderson Bays to Grevenbourg. These bayous are state owned and by law should be kept open and maintained. A new pipeline is passing through the basin. It will be placed along side of the present Wanda Pipeline. LCPA-West board members are working closely with the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Wildlife and fisheries, local and state officials, and pipeline inspectors and contractors. We’re trying to get more cuts and gaps opened along the pipeline right of way and also trying to get the original cuts cleaned out and reopened. The Wanda passes through Cocodrie, Beau Bayou, and the Red-Eye-Buffalo Cove areas on the west side of the Atchafalaya River. It continues to below the Bayou Sorrel and above the Bayou Pigeon areas on the east side of the river. If successful, we could see great water quality improvements in these areas by this spring. We will be working with the pipeline people until the completion of the job. We are also still working hard for you on our public access right to our state navigable waters and water bottoms. Visit our website at LCPA-West.com . Thanks for your support.

LCPA-West President: Mike Bienvenu