re: Wildlife and Fisheries and Ducks Unlimited have destroyed Rollover Bayou

Bass_Man, you are certainly correct about that in the Eastern part of the state. The channeling of the Mississippi water and sediment past New Orleans for river traffic has reduced the natural deposits of sediment all over the delta. Also, production canals for oil and gas have allowed unfiltered and undiluted ocean strength salt water to go right past the natural coastline to inland lakes and waterways where full strength saltwater kills the natural vegetation. Those forces in the eastern part of the state have led to the prevailing attitude (which defies nature) that salt water is always bad for the coast.

However, the natural state of things is that there is the Gulf and its full strength salt water. At the shoreline, the Gulf water meets a natural deposit of sand and sediment. Behind that in low lying areas is brackish marsh, which accepts tidal flow from the Gulf and fresh rain and runoff from the north. The salt water in the marsh is diluted, brackish, and there are many natural grasses and plants which grow in that environment, filtering the water and keeping the soil together. North of the marshy transition zone is the salt line, beyond which is only fresh water.

In the coastal area of Vermilion and Cameron Parishes the Mississippi River dynamic isn't at play. The area isn't starved for fresh water and sediment. There is sand all along the shoreline. The Gulf offshore is shallow for a significant distance due to the amount of natural sediment. There is also a huge brackish coastal marsh which separates the fresh and salt areas and protects the coastline. The problem is that they are intentionally pushing fresh water into the coastal marsh to support duck hunting. To the folks on the eastern side of the state, where lack of fresh water has led to significant erosion, that sounds like a good thing. Except that it isn't. Just like the production canals harm the coast by allowing undiluted salt water to bypass the transition zone, the forced introduction of excessive levels of fresh water into the coastal marsh will kill the marsh.