State of the Basin (Atchafalaya)

A few miles up the canal, we saw a motorboat approaching. It was Dean Wilson, the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. He had come out to check on us and see how were faring. We gathered around his boat as Drew asked him questions. “What do you think are the biggest problems facing the Basin right now?” asked Drew. “Right now, I would say that siltation is the biggest problem. Every year we are losing waterways to siltation. And the problem is very solvable,” said Dean. “Where do we go from here?” Dean replied, “We can build sediment traps in areas where water flows from the Atchafalaya into the smaller waterways that feed the sloughs and swamps. By trapping most of this sediment, I feel we will greatly reduce the pace at which the waterways are silting up.”

 

For the rest of the story, http://www.theind.com/content/view/5561/1/

 

#atchafalaya #river #basin