Vermilion River (Louisiana)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vermilion River
Vermilion River in Abbeville.
Country	United States
State	Louisiana
Major city	Lafayette, LA
Length	72 mi (116 km)
Source	Confluence of bayous
- location	Saint Landry Parish, LA, United States
Mouth	Gulf Of Mexico
- location	Intracoastal, Vermilion Parish, LA, United States
Vermilion River watershed

The Vermilion River (or The Bayou Vermilion) is a river, 72 mi (116 km) long, in southern Louisiana in the United States. It is formed on the common boundary of Lafayette and St. Martin Parishes by a confluence of small bayous flowing from St. Landry Parish, and flows generally southward through Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes, past the cities of Lafayette and Abbeville. At the port of Intracoastal City it is crossed by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway before flowing into Vermilion Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The river originates at Bayou Fusilier, which is fed by Bayou Teche, winds its way through Lafayette Parish, and drains into the Vermilion Bay below Vermilion Parish.

The river is a "consequent stream" or a "tidal river", which means that the Vermilion was formed from the bottom up. The river began life in Vermilion Bay. Tides and other natural actions in the bay slowly eroded away the marshes and other features of the landscape as the river crept northward. This process brought the channel that would one day become the Vermilion River as far north as Lafayette, Louisiana. Much later a distributary of Bayou Teche made its way south and eventually linked up with the consequent stream forming a true north-south flowing river. During times of heavy rain events, parts of the Vermilion will reverse itself and flow north. ^[1] The reverse flow phenomenon occurs because of the highly developed watershed areas in the City of Lafayette. Rainfall runoff from this urban area enters the Vermion River with larger volumes and at a faster rate. This raises the water level in the Vermilion River along the southern areas of the City of Lafayette. This rise in water levels somtimes exceeds the water level in reaches upstream of the City of Lafayette, thus causing the reverse flow effect. Also when water levels in the Vermilion River exceed certain stages, water begins to enter the Bayou Tortue Swamp Area. This swamp has a very large capacity to hold water, which also contributes to the reverse flow effect. The water from the Vermilion River enters Bayou Tortue Swamp through two Coulees. Coulee Crow and Bayou Tortue are located upstream of the Surrey Street bridge on the Vermilion River.

In its early stage of development, the only point in the city where water transportation could be secured was at the site of the Pinhook Bridge. Consequently, property owners and businesses located there. In later years, steamboats ran on the bayou. However, low water levels and submerged logs hampered their ability to travel.

The importance of the Vermilion as a means of transportation and commerce declined with the introduction of the railroad and the paving of all highways leading into Lafayette in 1936. The Army Corps of Engineers also had a significant impact on Bayou Vermilion. Dredging, completed in 1944, gave the bayou a depth of nine feet and a bottom width of 100 feet.

A pumping station was built on the Atchafalaya River near Krotz Springs with the capacity to pump up to 1,040 cubic feet of fresh water per second into Bayou Courtableu and eventually into the Vermilion River. The Teche-Vermilion Freshwater Project began in 1976 and was completed in 1982.