I know that you students do many projects in school. CC and I observed a huge project assigned by our federal and state government to bring more fresh water to our damaged wetlands. The Davis Pond freshwater diversion project was interesting to learn about.  Chuck Villarrubi, Tom Bernard and Jon Barmore of Louisiana Department of Natural Recourses were also along to help us learn about this venture that has taken many years and many millions of dollars to complete!

The Mississippi River is the major source of freshwater and sediment to southern Louisiana. Since the mighty river was levied many changes have occurred that have hurt our wetlands. One huge problem is Saltwater Intrusion. Salt water is creeping up because there is less freshwater to dilute it! The marsh needs freshwater to keep it diverse so scientist, biologist, and engineers figured out a way to move large amounts of fresh water into an area that really needed it.

By cutting a hole in the levee of the Mississippi River near the town of Boutte, Louisiana they release freshwater into Davis Pond. Davis Pond is not a little old pond; it is a 9,300-acre wetland! This beautiful marshy habitat is full of flotant marsh teeming with wetland wildlife such as ducks, eagles and many species of wading birds! The freshwater from the river that enters this pond exits out of 4 openings and flows into 770,000 acres of the Barataria Terrebonne estuary! It was evident that one opening to release the freshwater of the river should positively affect a really large area of marsh. Another such project called Caernarvon freshwater diversion was opened in 1991 to freshen the wetlands east of the Mississippi River.

After a morning in the airboat, we were taken to the control structure of the Davis Pond diversion canal.  When the huge floodgates are completely opened they can release 10,650 cubic feet per second of Mississippi River water into this vast area of marsh.  This environmental engineering project is a big concrete structure that has four tunnels that travel under the levee, a road, and a railroad track before emptying into a large canal that carries the water to Davis Pond. This is a lot of water! The water released can create a wild water ride that an experienced kayaker or surfer would adore!

But they escaped and multiplied.  As their population grew some people thought they would help eradicate another non-native species, the water hyacinth, but instead they ate too much of the good marsh plants and have out competed the muskrat, a native fur bearer.  Being bigger and faster breeders, they have taken much of the muskrat’s food and shelter.  Nutria can live wherever there is water in Louisiana but are heavily populated in south Louisiana swamps and marshes where they do much damage.

Nutria have voracious appetites and they eat night and day.  They create erosion by eating out whole area of marsh. They also burrow into the levees damaging them.  Nutria have large litters of cute babies.  A female can raise 20 young a year.  So you can see how they can overpopulate the marsh.

Besides being a fun animal for me to chase, they are sometimes caught for fur or nutritious meat. Alligators just love them for dinner.

Nutria damage and over population in Louisiana’s wetlands is a big problem.  Louisiana has a nutria control program which pays trappers $4 per tail brought in.  If I could only trap a few I could afford to buy some doggy treats!  Arf!