On Monday, the pumps at Bayou Courtableau were turned off, as Teche-Vermilion Freshwater District officials try to prepare for the coming rains.
That action will drop the water level in the Bayou, and that in turn will drop the water levels in the Teche-Vermilion watershed, said Don Sagrera, executive director of the District.
"We turned them off on Monday, as soon as we heard about the possibility of this system," Sagrera said. "At that time, we were pumping water into the bayou to keep the flow of fresh water in the Teche and the Vermilion. We stopped the pumps, and when we do that the water level in our watershed starts dropping."
So far, the levels have dropped about eight inches, he said.
"That gives us a little more storage capacity in the watershed when it does start raining," Sagrera said. "If we get a whole of rain, it won't take all of it, but there will be a little bit of storage capacity before the rain stops."
The wind also is helping, he said.
"One of the big things happening right now, the wind direction is from the west and northwest," Sagrera said. "That's helping, too, because it's pushing the water out of Vermilion Bay, letting the river go down. The river is probably lower than it has been all year right now."
As soon as the wind shifts, that will change, but Sagrera says he feels the District has done what it could to prepare.
