BARATARIA, La. — Floating problems in Bayou Barataria make navigating the major waterway in lower Jefferson Parish difficult for boats large and small.
“It’s just another hurdle to navigate in an already hurdle-filled navigation system here,” charter boat Captain Theophile Bourgois said. “We always have to look out for things in these boats.”
Sunday, the parish and U.S. Coast Guard sent out an advisory, notifying mariners to proceed with caution on the bayou due to the amount of debris and vegetation in the water.
That advisory remained in effect on Monday. Bourgeois told us what he saw over the weekend was truly bizarre.
“It goes from completely clear one day, until the next morning, you’re crossing the bridge and you’re like oh my God, you could walk across it. There’re no boats getting through that.
Kerry Lauricella lives along the bayou in Barataria.
He said the floating debris, known as “flottantes” are remnants from Hurricane Ida which blew through lower Jefferson in 2021 with 150 mile per hour winds and a seven foot storm surge.
“When you have such a high tide, everything starts loosening up and all of that debris ends up in the main waterway, causing the hazard.”
Lauricella says he’s been watching debris floating on the water for days.
“Those clumps of grass and all that debris that you’re seeing is probably from as far south, originating from islands that were in Grand Isle. We used to fish around it.”
“Recreational fishermen told us this is the most floating debris and “flottants” they’ve seen on the bayou since Hurricane Ida nearly two years ago.
“This is the first time I’ve seen such an influx of the “flottantes” actually getting in the way of boat traffic.
Town of Jean Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner, Jr, released this statement.
It is unprecedented. We are still trying to determine the cause and where exactly it came from.
One thing is clear is that we are still dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Ida and this is yet another example. 2 years after Hurricane Ida and the storm is still creating a dangerous environment for our commercial and recreational boaters.
However, even with Hurricane Ida redistributing land this would likely not be an issue if not for the West Closure Complex. I don’t believe it is a coincidence. The West Closure Complex was operated on June 22nd and this debris showed up on June 23rd. It is likely another example of the strength of this pump and its effect on quality of life and the danger it causes to the people of Jean Lafitte, Lower Lafitte, Barataria, and Crown Point. The pump running with an higher than usual tide likely forced a lot of the land built up from hurricane Ida to break loose and fill our waterways, our docks, and our launches.
I urge everyone to be careful and cautious while enjoying our beautiful waterways for the foreseeable future.