Posted on March 13, 2024
With the city council approval, a section of the Vermilion River in Lafayette will be dredged.
The project is about one-half-mile near the confluence of the river and Coulee Mine, near the Rotary Point area. The problem is junk and sediment at the river’s bottom. Dredge the Vermilion supports the project slated to begin this summer.
Dredge the Vermilion Vice President, Harold Schoeffler explains the Corps of Engineers will do a 6-mile dredge in about a year and a half from now.
Why wait for that? Schoeffler welcomes a spot dredge regardless that it’s only a mile.
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“It’s a bird in the hand so to speak because it will make a big difference if we have a big flood issue,” Schoeffler stated.
According to council meeting minutes, the Mayor President Monica Blonco Boulet stated the project’s focus is navigation.
“It’s navigable to the General Mouton bridge and you have a big marine operator there that would love to get bigger boats up to their facility, but they can’t right now. Dredging it will allow businesses and jobs to happen and improvements,” said Boulet.
Schoeffler says the river drops down to one foot deep at low water.
“Even out-of-boat motors have trouble coming up. It should be ten feet deeper,” he stated.
