Bayou Lafourche

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Introduction What is Nonpoint Source Pollution? Nonpoint source pollution is defined as the pollution of waters caused by rainfall moving over and through the ground. As runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural pollutants and pollutants resulting from human activity, finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, bayous, wetlands, coastal waters, and ground waters. Nonpoint source pollution is the largest cause of water quality impairment in our nation’s waters. It is difficult to locate the source of this diffuse runoff and the pollution it carries. Nonpoint source pollution is not regulated by the government like discharges from industrial activities. The difficulty of source location and the non-regulatory context of implementation make nonpoint source pollution a particularly complex problem to overcome. What is a Watershed? We all live in a watershed. A watershed is all the land that drains into a specific river, lake, or bayou. In its natural state, a watershed is defined by the topography. Water is pulled by gravity to the lowest point and the watershed is composed of all the land that drains to that point. Watersheds provide a predicable, structured framework for the evaluation and mitigation of water quality impairments. Why Watersheds? Working within a watershed framework allows stakeholders to target implementation at areas that are most likely to contribute to the water quality impairments of a specific water body. By evaluating the land uses within the watershed, stakeholders are better able to formulate a complete understanding of the potential sources of impairment. This understanding promotes a comprehensive approach to addressing nonpoint source pollution. The greatest water quality improvements result when all potential sources of pollution are addressed. The watershed framework also allows funding and effort to be targeted at the areas that contribute to the impairment of a specific water body. A targeted approach increases the likelihood of water quality improvements and results in a higher return on investment from water quality funding. 3
Who is a Stakeholder? In the corporate world, a stakeholder is defined as a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry (Dictionary.com). This definition is easily transferred to the watershed framework. In a watershed, a stakeholder’s investment, share, or interest may be in the form of a favorite fishing hole, a sense of place, or a source of drinking water. Stakeholders in Bayou Lafourche include everyone who has an interest in the bayou as part of their past, present or future. Because of this interest, stakeholders may be obliged or compelled to take action to protect, enhance, or restore the function of the Bayou Lafourche Watershed. Upper Bayou Lafourche Watershed: Louisiana Subsegment 020401; Bayou Lafourche – Donaldsonville to the Intracoastal Waterway at Larose. The Upper Bayou Lafourche Watershed stretches the length of Bayou Lafourche from the pumps that feed the bayou at Donaldsonville to the Intracoastal Waterway at Larose. The watershed is confined on the east and west by the natural levees of the bayou. This gives the watershed a thin ribbon-like structure, only a few widths wider than the bayou from beginning to end. The watershed covers an area of 10.66 square miles. This area may seem inconsequential, but nearly every acre of the watershed has been altered by human activity. Louisiana Highways 1 and 308 are etched into the watershed on either side of Bayou Lafourche. The watershed also includes urbanized areas of Donaldsonville, Thibodaux, Raceland, and Larose, as well as homes, businesses, sugar cane fields, pastures, and petroleum industry support activities. Bayou Lafourche is located in the Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Ecoregion. Ecoregions are areas of distinct biological and physical characteristics and have proven to be an effective aid for inventorying and assessing national and regional Louisiana Ecoregions environmental resources, for setting regional resource management goals, and for developing biological criteria and water quality standards. The Lower Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Ecoregion contains natural levees of moderate elevation and slope; and vegetation includes both cypress forest and bottomland hardwoods. Many of the 4
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Page 7 and 8: from potential illness. To address
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Page 11 and 12: Table 1. Sample of Numerical Criter
Page 13 and 14: The assessment of these impairments
Page 15 and 16: the subsegment. Therefore, no load
Page 17 and 18: TMDL for Fecal Coliforms A TMDL for
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Page 21 and 22: Sources of Impairment A water body
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Page 27 and 28: variety of ribbon cane and Etienne
Page 29 and 30: activities, and by residents. Petro
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Page 39 and 40: The LSU AgCenter specifically recom
Page 41 and 42: sources. Successful nutrient manage
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Page 47 and 48: Disconnect impervious areas Roof do
Page 49 and 50: Rooftop Runoff The practice most of
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foster new levels of cooperation an
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to all private, for profit, and non
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2003 Farm Bill Conservations Progra
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plans by the participants. A member
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References LSU AgCenter. 2000. Suga
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Appendix A - Water Quality Data Wat
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DO (mg/L) 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980
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Bacteria Bacteria criteria are esta
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Fecal Coliform (Colonies/100mL) 197
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Bayou Lafourche

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