Everything about Vermilion River Louisiana totally explained
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's 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. 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.
Towns Along The River
Vermillion Parish
Further Information
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