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The 100 Black Men of St. Mary Parish Inc. recently named its 2019 scholarship winners. Pictured from left are President Clarence Robinson Jr., Edvardo Fernandez of Morgan City High, Trayon’ Ray of Patterson High, Samuel Boutte III of Patterson High, A’Jaycia McCurtis of Franklin High, Stephen Augman Jr. of West St. Mary High, and members Butch Metz and George Small. The organization's total scholarship award for 2019 was for $6,500.

Two people were arrested Saturday in Berwick after police searched a vehicle and found a substantial amount of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Police Chief David Leonard Sr. said in a news release.

One of the suspects allegedly admitted the drugs were hers.

—Summer Gaudet, 24, of Lake Palourde Road in Amelia, was arrested at 8:10 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Devin Vining, 26, of River Road in Berwick, was arrested at 8:10 p.m. Saturday on a charge of probation violation.

At 7:41 p.m. Saturday, officers were patrolling the area of Third Street when they observed a vehicle pass being driven by Vining. Police were aware that he did not have a driver’s license, Leonard said.

A traffic stop was conducted on Fourth Street in Morgan City and the driver was identified as Vining. Police verified that Vining did not have a driver’s license. During the traffic stop, Vining and his passenger, Gaudet, began acting in a suspicious manner, Leonard said.

Officers gained consent to search the vehicle and located a substantial amount of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, Leonard said. While interviewing both subjects, Gaudet admitted that the drugs located were hers, Leonard said. Police also discovered that Vining had a warrant for a probation violation. Both were jailed with no bail set.

Leonard reported the following arrests:

—Percy Brown III, 29, of Lucy Street in Lafayette, was arrested at 1:15 a.m. Saturday on charges of speeding 70 mph in a 55 mph zone, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant charging him with second-degree battery.

At 12:39 a.m. Saturday, officers conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 90 in Berwick on a vehicle for speeding 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. Upon making contact with the driver, he was identified as Brown. Officers gained consent to search the vehicle and later located a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, Leonard said.

Brown admitted that the drugs were his and was arrested, Leonard said. Officers also learned of a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant for his arrest. Brown’s bail was set at $3,750 on the traffic and drug charges and also posted $10,000 bail on the second-degree battery charge.

—Shawn Boudreaux, 40, of Martin Road in Franklin, was arrested at 3:10 p.m. Sunday on charges of possession of Suboxone with intent to distribute and criminal mischief.

At 2:25 p.m. Sunday, officers received a complaint from an off-duty sheriff’s office employee that Boudreaux was observed going through people’s yards in the area of Pharr and Francis streets. Officers began to investigate and later learned that Boudreaux was last seen going into a home on Francis Street, Leonard said.

Officers later made contact with Boudreaux at a home on Francis Street and arrested on a charge of criminal mischief. After his arrest, Boudreaux was searched and found in possession of Suboxone. After a further investigation, police learned that Boudreaux had tried selling Suboxone to the homeowner where he was found, Leonard said. Boudreaux was jailed with no bail set.

—Benjamin Justillian, 26, of Rose Street in Berwick, was arrested at 12:48 a.m. Sunday on a 16th Judicial District Court warrant charging him with failure to appear on a charge of criminal trespass.

Officers responded to a Rose Street address in reference to a disturbance at that location involving Justillian being intoxicated, Leonard said. Upon officers arriving, they made contact with Justillian and a warrant check revealed that he had a warrant for district court. Justillian was booked on the warrant and later transported to parish jail.

—A female juvenile, 14, of Morgan City, was arrested at 6:57 p.m. Sunday on a charge of simple battery.

Officers responded to Oregon Street in reference to a fight involving two juveniles. During the investigation, officers reviewed a video that had been taken of the fight, and they gathered information to make an arrest, Leonard said. The juvenile was arrested and later released the custody of her parents.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith reported that deputies responded to 194 complaints in the parish and reported the following arrests relating to the area:

—Walter William Kidder, 35, of Neptune Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 12:39 p.m. Wednesday on three warrants for failure to appear on charges of possession of Subutex, possession of Suboxone, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana 14 grams or less, failure to stop/yield at a stop sign and two counts of criminal neglect of family.

Kidder was turned in by a bondsman at parish jail on warrants. Bail was set at $1,826.

—Timothy Scott Crum, 40, of La. 663 in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at 5:27 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

Crum was transported from the Assumption Parish jail to the St. Mary Parish jail on warrants for his arrest. No bail was set.

—Wosha Anthony Ruffin, 39, of Grace Street in Siracusa, was arrested at 5:31 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant charging him with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Ruffin was transported from Terrebonne Parish jail to St. Mary Parish jail on warrants for his arrest. Bail was set at $1,500.

—Deontay Deion Jones, 22, of Taft Street in Patterson, was arrested at 9:43 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—Rhykeelon Jae’von Talver, 21, of Tall Timber Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 9:43 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

A deputy working a detail observed two subjects, identified as Jones and Taylor, fighting at a business. Both Jones and Taylor were transported to parish jail for booking. Bail on Jones and Taylor was set at $1,000 each.

—Tiffany Lynn Remedies, 29, of U.S. 90 West in Patterson, was arrested at 9:12 a.m. Thursday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Remedies turned herself in at parish jail on a warrant. No bail was set.

—Jeremie Martin Paul, 28, of Jupiter Street in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 10:58 a.m. Thursday on charges of simple battery and criminal damage to property.

A deputy was dispatched to the 100 block of Southeast Boulevard in Bayou Vista in reference to property being damaged. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with Paul. The deputy learned that Paul damaged the complainant’s property and had committed a battery on the complainant, Smith said. Paul was jailed with bail set at $3,000.

—A female juvenile, 17, was arrested at 1:48 p.m. Thursday on a charge of ungovernable juvenile.

Deputies were dispatched to a home in Patterson in reference to a missing juvenile. After further investigation, the juvenile was located and arrested. She was released to a guardian pending juvenile court proceedings.

—Christine Elizabeth Sharp, 50, of Hebert Street in Franklin, was arrested at 6:51 p.m. Thursday on a charge of driving under suspension.

A deputy was patrolling the Bayou Vista area when he observed a vehicle make an improper U-turn near Southeast Boulevard and U.S. 90. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, identified as Sharp. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Sharp was driving under suspension. She was released on a summons to appear in court Oct. 16.

—Adrian Lynn Billiot, 37, of Francis Street in Patterson, was arrested at 2:45 p.m. Friday on charges of disturbing the peace by language, entry/remain on premises after being forbidden and a warrant for failure to appear on charges of simple battery and disturbing the peace.

A deputy was dispatched to a home in Patterson in reference to a disturbance. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with the complainant said that Billiot was causing a disturbance. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Billiot held an active warrant for her arrest. Billiot was jailed with bail set at $8,250.

—Agatha Maria McCleary, 27, of Brashear Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 8:29 p.m. Saturday on two warrants for failure to appear on charges of domestic abuse battery first offense and theft less than $1,000.

McCleary was located at a business in Patterson on the active warrants for her arrest. McCleary was jailed with no bail set.

—Troy Carnley, 39, of Henry Street in Patterson, was arrested at 11:39 p.m. Friday on charges of resisting an officer by giving false information, resisting arrest or officer, resisting an officer by flight and on a warrant charging him with failure to appear for improper turn and/or failure to give required signal and failure to maintain automobile liability insurance, and a Patterson bench warrant charging him with trailer and towed vehicles, no insurance, failure to carry registration, expired license plate, resisting an officer by flight and theft of a motor vehicle.

—Valerie Soto, 35, 116 Moffett Court in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at 11:41 p.m. Friday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of criminal neglect of family.

A deputy patrolling the area of Lake Palourde Road observed a vehicle with no operating taillights. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Carnley, and a passenger, Soto. During the stop, the deputy was advised by dispatch of an active warrant for Soto’s arrest.

As the deputy was arresting Soto, Carnley ran from the scene but was quickly apprehended, Smith said. The deputy was advised by dispatch of the active warrants for Carnley. Carnley and Soto were both jailed with no bail set.

—Cherie Anne Hazel, 27, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. Saturday on a charge of expired or no inspection sticker and on warrant for failure to appear on charges of expired motor vehicle inspection sticker and no insurance.

A deputy was patrolling Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle traveling with an expired inspection sticker. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Hazel. During the stop, the deputy was advised of an active warrant for Hazel. Hazel was booked into jail and then released on a summons.

—Manuel Garcia, 31, of Shannon Street in Patterson, was arrested at 1:52 p.m. Saturday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

A deputy was the area of Amelia when he observed a vehicle cross the outer fog line prior to making a left-hand turn. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Garcia. During the stop, drug paraphernalia was found, Smith said. Garcia was released on a summons to appear in court Oct. 16.

—Kiharia Raiheem Harris, 22, of Bobtown Circle in Houma, was arrested at 2:58 p.m. Saturday on charges of possession of marijuana and seat belt required.

A deputy was patrolling the area of U.S. 90 near Patterson when he observed a man driving a vehicle without a seat belt. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Harris. During the stop, marijuana was found, Smith said. Harris was booked into jail and then released on $2,250 bail.

—Marvin Mitchell Williamson Jr., 54, of La. 182 West in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 12:12 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

—Maria Cribeiro, 54, of Saturn Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 12:57 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace by fighting.

A deputy was dispatched to a home on Saturn Road in response to a complaint of an altercation. Upon arrival, the deputy made contact with Cribeiro. During the investigation, Williamson was located at another location and was interviewed. Williamson and Cribeiro were both released on a summons to appear Oct. 16.

—Jadi Guerrero Williams, 30, of Southwest Boulevard in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 9:56 a.m. Sunday on a charge of driving under suspension.

A deputy was stationery on U.S. 90 East when he observed a vehicle cross the fog line before making a turn without using a turn signal. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Williams. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Williams was driving with a suspended license. Williams was released on a summons to appear Oct. 16.

—Mong Tuyen-Thi Duval, 33, of Wedell Street in Patterson, was arrested at 12:17 p.m. Sunday on charges of driving under suspension and expired or no inspection sticker.

A deputy patrolling Amelia observed a vehicle with no inspection sticker visible. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Duval. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Duval was driving with a suspended license. Duval was released on a summons to appear Oct. 16.

—Leroy Jackson, 44, of BB Lane in Jeanerette, was arrested at 12:10 a.m. Monday on a warrant for failure to appear on a charge of driving under suspension and tail lamps required.

A deputy was patrolling the area of U.S. 90 near Patterson when he observed a man driving a vehicle without a seat belt. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Harris. During the stop, marijuana was found, Smith said. Harris was jailed with bail set at $310.

—Leon Lipari, 36, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 11:07 p.m. Saturday on three active warrants charging him with switched license plate, no insurance and theft

A deputy with the K-9 Division was patrolling the area of Bayou Vista when he observed a vehicle cross the fog line several times. The deputy conducted a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, Lipari. The deputy was advised by dispatch that Lipari held active warrants for his arrest. Lipari was jailed with no bail set.

Morgan City Police Chief James Blair reported that officers responded to 121 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Harril Lin Charles, 69, of Franklin Street in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:05 p.m. Friday on a charge of driving under suspension.

—Arnold Rigoberto Guerrero, 24, of Brashear Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 7:05 p.m. Friday on a charge of no driver’s license.

Officers were flagged down in reference to a crash involving two vehicles in the area of Sixth and Egle streets. The drivers were identified as Charles and Guerrero. During the crash investigation, a computer check revealed Charles’ driver’s license was suspended, and Guerrero did not possess a valid driver’s license, Blair said. They were both jailed.

—Adam Rene Landry, 35, of Levee Road in Morgan City, was arrested at 12:44 a.m. Saturday on a warrant charging him with failure to appear in court.

Officers came into contact with Landry on Levee Road. A warrant check revealed city court had a warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.

—Michael Wade Forristal, 47, of Honey Lane in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested at 1:36 a.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with probation violation.

Officers came into contact with Forristal in the area of La. 70. A warrant check revealed probation and parole had a warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.

—Timothy Adam Pojar, 39, of Federal Avenue in Morgan City, was placed under arrest at 11:05 a.m. Sunday on a warrant charging him with criminal neglect of family.

An officer responding to a complaint came into contact with Pojar at a home on Federal Avenue. A warrant check revealed 16th District Court held an active warrant for his arrest. He was jailed.

Patterson Police Chief Garrett Grogan reported the following arrests:

—Jose M. Martinez-Morales, 43, of Francis Street in Patterson, was arrested at 8:09 p.m. Friday on charges of speeding 68 mph in a 55 mph zone, suspended/revoked driver’s license and a St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office warrant. He paid $77 bail.

—Brandy L. Solar, 40, of Emy Lane in Patterson, was arrested at 9:36 p.m. Friday on charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, theft, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling and a St. Mary Parish warrant charging her with simple criminal damage to property. Solar was transferred to parish jail.

—Cherie A. Hazel, 27, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 8:09 p.m. Saturday on a warrant for failure to appear on charges of expired motor vehicle inspection sticker, no proof of insurance and failure to appear for court date. Bail was set at $688.

—Nick J. Jackson, 36, of Carol Road in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 12:09 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disturbing the peace intoxicated. Jackson posted $357 bail.

Assumption Parish Sheriff Leland Falcon reported the following arrests relating to the area:
—Cody James Legnon, 40, of Smithtown Road in Lumberton, Mississippi, was arrested on charges of resisting an officer by providing false information and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

—Jennifer L. Cross, 39, of Legnon Court in Bayou L’Ourse, was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Deputies and narcotics agents received information indicating illegal drug activity ongoing in the 100 block of Legnon Court. On Saturday evening, sheriff’s office investigators went to the home in question and spoke to two individuals concerning the ongoing criminal complaint.
At the time, the person eventually identified as Legnon, provided false identification to deputies, Falcon said. As a result of prior information received and onsite investigation, agents established probable cause to obtain a search warrant and applied for the same. The search warrant was granted. Deputies executed the search warrant and seized marijuana, Falcon said. Both were jailed pending bail hearings.

There’s a best time to buy just about anything, but knowing which product will go on sale at what time isn’t always easy.
So here’s a list of general shopping rules that can apply to most things you’ll buy. With these tips, you can figure out the best time — or at least a good time — to purchase almost anything.
Below are five great times to shop.
1. THURSDAYS
Shopping at a brick-and-mortar store on a Thursday afternoon or evening can be cost-effective. This one isn’t a guarantee every time, but it’s a good bet, according to Kristen Regine, a professor of marketing at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island who holds a doctorate in business administration.
“Thursday is an important day for consumers to know because that’s when stores take markdowns,” Regine said. “They’re prepping for the weekend. They know they’re going to get the most foot traffic on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”
2. HOLIDAY WEEKENDS
In some cases, Mondays are better. Expect big deals on weekends leading up to holidays, said Darrin Duber-Smith, a senior lecturer of marketing at Metropolitan State University of Denver. That can apply to a wide array of products, but particularly big-ticket items like cars.
“A three-day weekend is always great for buying,” Duber-Smith said. “That’s just a general rule. When there’s a day off — a Monday off — that is a big deal because it’s three days of buying instead of two.”
Popular sale weekends include Presidents Day in February, Memorial Day in May and Labor Day in September.
3. CLEARANCE EVENTS
A key to shopping is buying products when retailers are liquidating them and moving them to the clearance rack. After all, stores have to run out of the old stuff before they can stock the new stuff.
For example, furniture is typically restocked twice a year — February and August — according to Duber-Smith. That means older furniture styles are usually on sale in January in July.
“Inventory is the bain of all retailers,” Duber-Smith said. “You want to get rid of something at cost or even below cost because you think you can make money off of something that’s going to replace it on the shelves.”
Always check the clearance rack. And while you’re at it, pay attention to colors. Regine said some clothing retailers mark down items according to color, rather than by category. For example, you may find a bunch of blue or purple apparel on clearance after the color didn’t resonate with consumers or sell well.
4. SAME TIME AS LAST YEAR
If you can’t remember when these types of sale events will roll around, the deals retailers have hosted in the past are usually a good indication of deals they’ll host in the future.
Regine points out that Sephora has a big makeup sale each May, Old Navy has a flip-flop sale each June and Amazon hosts its Prime Day sale each July.
Other retailers, such as Bath & Body Works, host semiannual sales. These twice-yearly sales are typically held in January and June, although the exact timing varies.
To learn about these sales, Regine suggests asking a store sales associate about current and upcoming promotions. Online, keep old retail emails in your inbox so you can track sales and anticipate when they’ll happen again.
Holding onto those marketing emails can also help you compare current prices with prices the store has offered in the past so you can better judge the value of a deal. That 20% off sitewide might not be as enticing if you saw the same retailer offer 30% off sitewide last month.
5. WHEN APPS TELL YOU
You don’t have to do all the deal legwork on your own. Regine recommends leaning on technology to help you figure out when you should buy something you’ve been eyeing for a while.
To keep track of the various promotions and deals, she likes Shop It To Me and the Krazy Coupon Lady, both of which are shopping apps that will notify you of price drops on certain items you want.
“Let the apps do the work for you because there is no easy, simple guide,” Regine said.

It was a hot Louisiana day in June at the Myette Point Boat Landing when Stephen Landry pulled up with boat and trailer.
Landry’s self-built wooden skiff is a working man’s boat: He is a crawfisherman in the Atchafalaya Basin, and an inventor of sorts.
Despite the oppressive heat, the boat ride to Buffalo Cove was cooler, and the scenery magnificent.
But today he is concerned about pollution in this vast water system that has been dubbed “America’s Wetland.” It is the third largest basin of its kind in the world.
A few facts about the basin make clear the importance of this natural wonder. As cited on www.louisiana-destinations.com, the Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of the nation’s most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes. The Atchafalaya River meanders from near Simmesport southward past Pierre Part down to Morgan City and the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya Basin is a unique combination of wetlands, bayous, marshes, estuaries, and river delta area. It covers an area 20 miles wide and 150 miles long, and at 1.4 million acres it is the nation’s largest swamp wilderness, with 885,000 acres of forested wetlands and 517,000 acres of marshland.
Landry has concerns, as many do, about the quality of the water in this environ. He says he’s talked to people “that test the water, and they’re not spending any money. They’re not testing the waters.”
The basin, as seen on historic maps prior to the levee system building after the historic and catastrophic flood of 1927, was once much larger. Subsequent construction to prevent future flooding constrained its flow, and the basin nearly at once began to silt up. A modern map of the wetlands shows a strikingly different picture.
The skiff diverts to a smaller waterway, and winds through pristine waters, though the basin is still high. Then there is Buffalo Cove, and its condition is appalling.
Once pristine and an expanse of clear, black-green water, now it is clogged full of “water lilies,” as we locals call them, properly designated “water hyacinth.” An invasive, water hyacinth is thought to be native to the Amazon River basin of South America. It was introduced to the United States in 1884 at the Cotton States Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana. It spread across the southeastern U. S. and was identified in Florida in 1895.
Those plants have likely thrived on the release of fertilizer from the 33 states that the Mississippi River drains. Some of that runoff flows into the Atchafalaya after it is diverted at the Old River Control Structure in central Louisiana.
“The only solution is, you have to clean the water,” Landry said, seated in the bow of his wooden skiff in Buffalo Cove, once known as one of the most idyllic locations in the basin.
Landry, a Four Corners native and Franklin resident since 1972, a machinist and a former McDermott employee, Landry began shrimping in 1985, and later crawfishing.
While water hyacinth has spread into almost all waterways in the south and beyond, it is admittedly an excellent filtration plant. “I think that’s what it was made for,” Landry said.
In truth, it is a beautiful plant, a characteristic that probably aided in its spread after 1884. Its growth is a jade green, and its flower a purple or lavender.
The LSU AgCenter, in a 2019 article titled “Nutrient Pollution Reduced by Swamps Connected to Rivers,” cites, “If water leaves a river channel and flows through these wetlands, it is well known that nutrients—especially nitrogen—are removed from floodwater when it encounters low-oxygen wetland sediments, and pollution is reduced when it returns to the channel…At the same time rivers have become more polluted with nutrient runoff, they have also become more confined within their channels by extensive flood control work over the past two centuries. Many former floodplains that once received floodwater and contributed to water quality are now partially or completely disconnected from rivers.” (Richard Keim, 2018)
The changes since 1993 to today are obvious, he says, using Buffalo Cove as example. “You could come in here, and there were lilies, but nothing like this. I would think fertilizer in general. Common sense tells you, that all over the northwest, at the top of the Mississippi River, is silt. Silt carries the fertilizer. Years back Nebraska, I think, built ditches to drain the water into, to settle it, and then it went into the river where it knocked out a lot of nutrients, and helped save their top soil.”
Solutions are, unfortunately, a matter of politics. “It’s just common sense that you can’t destroy the thing that sustains your life,” he noted, he said while checking a crawfish trap in Buffalo Cove. It contains only a few mud bugs. “The cancer rate…they’re not telling the truth about the cancer rate.”
Nitrogen and phosphates are likely the culprits, Landry said. There are probably other chemicals in the water that arrive in Louisiana from more than 30 states and vast drainage systems.
A Conservation Habitats & Species Assessment by the state noted as far back as 2005 that “The suspected causes for these water quality problems include: fecal coliform, suspended solids, sedimentation/siltation, mercury, turbidity, and low concentration of dissolved oxygen. The suspected sources of the water quality problems include: crop production, petroleum activities, channelization, dredging, industrial point sources, waste storage/tank leaks, and spills.”
“I was told by the Justice Department itself,” Landry said. “If you want something done you can’t go to the top, you have to go to someone under him. You have to get to the ones we elected who are not doing their job.”
Many years ago, the machinist in Landry prompted him to create a cutter machine that can be mounted to the bow of his skiff. When lowered into an expanse of even the densest water hyacinth, at speed the cutters make short work of the invasive plant.
He has been successful in patenting the design and authorized manufacture of it with an outside company.
“I’ve been here for 25 years,” he said. “I know I can cut the vegetation. I have to sit back and wait until these guys understand that you can’t continue poisoning (the lilies) because when you do, it sinks. Then the contaminants are on the bottom. So it’s not about going in there to eliminate, but to reduce it.”
By cutting the water hyacinth, the individual plant material pieces will—hopefully—flow out and eventually make their way to the Gulf of Mexico, rather than sink to the bottom of the basin.
The Environmental Protection Agency released information that, “Manmade locks and dams were created to control flooding and create deeper waters for steamboats. However, this system made it more difficult for water to be absorbed and made flooding even more detrimental. The convenience of a trustworthy mode of transportation and a constant water supply encouraged agriculture, industries, and cities to spread to areas along the river. Productivity from these areas resulted in large amounts of nutrients being discharged from the river system into the Gulf of Mexico. These nutrients have contributed to hypoxia.”
As for Landry, he says he’ll continue to try to raise awareness of the problem…or problems.
He repeats, in conclusion, “It’s just common sense that you can’t destroy the thing that sustains your life.”