Tangipahoa litter creating problems
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AMITE — Tangipahoa Parish’s litter problem is creating high levels of pollution in Ponchatoula Creek and Yellow Water River, two main water drainage routes for central and south Tangipahoa Parish.
Leah Latiolais, watershed coordinator with Capital Resource Conservation and Development, presented Tuesday to the Tangipahoa Parish Council a report noting excessive litter blockage along the waterways and requested assistance with both public education and litter control.
Any litter that hits the ground in Independence, Tickfaw, Natalbany, Hammond and parts of Ponchatoula ends up in storm water and eventually washes down, pouring into tidal Lake Maurepas, she said.
Along with blocking water flow, litter decomposition affects oxygen levels needed to support fish and plant life, Latiolais said.
“We all go over the bridges, but I’m the one who goes under,” she said, referring to river blockage occurring within Ponchatoula Creek and the Yellow Water River. “I’ve seen the river stopped up with litter.”
Capital Resource Conservation and Development was contracted by the state for development of a watershed protection plan for the parish.
Latiolais told council members that litter pollution of the parish’s waterways can be reversed. She cited reduction in fecal coliform levels within the Tangipahoa River as proof that conditions can improve, she said.
The report presented to the council noted the recent removal of the Tangipahoa River from Louisiana’s impaired waterways list.
“The Tangipahoa River came off the list for fecal coliform and is now open again to recreational use. To pull it off the list took time,” Latiolais said. “The work took over a decade to get it off.”
The report notes that a primary cause of fecal coliform pollution in the Tangipahoa River was runoff from dairy farms.
“The agricultural community worked with regulatory agencies to finalize the minimum standards and specifications for zero-discharge waste systems on dairies,” which in turn drastically reduced fecal coliform pollution, the report states.
Fecal coliform is another issue of pollution for Ponchatoula Creek and Yellow Water Rivers, Latiolais said outside the meeting.
Both Ponchatoula Creek and Yellow Water River will be inspected during coming months to identify installations of wastewater discharge pipes, she said.
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