Letter: Bayou Manchac and the Mississippi

• Published: Jul 10, 2009 - Page: 8B

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Developers and landowners around Spanish Lake are claiming that the land should be reverted to its historical wetlands designation. This would allow them to use that designation in order to profit in their development by trading wetlands. However, they are leaving out a very important aspect of that area.

Historically, Bayou Manchac was connected to the Mississippi River, which allowed some water from the Mississippi, at high water stage, to flow through Bayou Manchac on its way to Lake Maurepas and to the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in fluctuating water levels in the Spanish Lake area, which were beneficial for the wetlands. However, the area has been negatively impacted by man’s efforts to control the water level.

As a result of opening the locks between Alligator Bayou and Bayou Manchac, Spanish Lake is now almost dry. This is unnatural, as the Mississippi River is currently high, and the water should be flowing in the opposite direction —from Bayou Manchac into Alligator Bayou and on to Spanish Lake.

In order to restore these wetlands to a healthy state, and to re-establish their natural cycles, Bayou Manchac needs to be reconnected to the Mississippi River, using locks or pumps to facilitate the historical natural water flow between and among these bodies of water.

I know that getting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reconnect the natural bayous to the Mississippi is asking too much, but we could use the river water level to indicate what the natural water level should be. After years of artificial water-level control, some dredging also needs to be done.

Bayou Manchac is one of the most historically significant bayous in Louisiana. Read Mary Ann Sternberg’s “Winding Through Time: The Forgotten History and Present-Day Peril of Bayou Manchac.”
Frank Bonifay and Jim Ragland have invested and tirelessly worked to preserve a jewel of the natural habitat at Alligator Bayou and the surrounding areas. Their efforts should be encouraged instead of destroyed.

Jim Jeansonne
craftsman
Baton Rouge