LAFAYETTE, La. — With hurricane season upon us, several organizations in Lafayette, including the Bayou Vermilion District, LCG, and UL Lafayette want to remind you that rain should be the only thing going down drains through the "Only Rain Down the Drain" initiative.
"60 percent of pollution in waterways is attributed to litter, so it's really harmful for not only animals and habitats in the rivers, but ourselves as well," said Assistant Director of Sustainability for UL, Blair Begnaud. "So it's super important just to keep anything that's not rain out of the drain."
But efforts to enforce illegal dumping and littering while increasing area water quality don't end with this initiative, as these groups are gathering to create the first water quality task force of its kind in Lafayette Parish. Ellen Fucich, Communications and Marketing Director for the Bayou Vermilion District, told KATC the Vermilion River was one of the worst waterways in the country back in the 1960s and 1970s. That is, until, the district was created in the 80s.
While things have changed significantly for the better along the Vermilion's shores, issues with littering and illegal dumping still prevail.
"1,784 barrels of debris were removed last year and basically we go from the beginning of the Vermilion, down to almost Milton, we cover Lafayette Parish on a daily basis," Fucich said. "They're 55-gallon drums, so that's about five 55-gallon drums a day, and it used to be higher than that too, so people have started paying attention and that's a good thing."
LCG, working with the Bayou Vermilion District, reports removing 100 to 200 cubic yards of trash per year. To put that into perspective, each cubic yard is about the size of a pick-up truck bed. According to LDWF, if caught littering or illegally dumping your waste, you could face fines from $175 to $1000 plus a minimum of eight hours of work in a litter abatement program.
"Don't litter, please don't throw your stuff in the river, because it's gotta get out of there somehow," Fucich said.
The water quality task force's first meeting date will be announced, but officials say it should be within the next two weeks.
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