The 5^th Annual Bayou Lafourche Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, March 12 has been cancelled due to inclement weather.

The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program hosts an annual clean up of 106 miles of Bayou Lafourche in an effort to raise awareness of keeping the bayou clean.

BTNEP recognizes that littering has become a major problem in Louisiana. Alma Robichaux, BTNEP Bayou Lafourche Cleanup Manager said, “The people of the Lafourche, Terrebonne and Assumption parishes need to take a stand to protect this important body of water from litter and dumping.”

Bayou Lafourche provides drinking water for over 300,000 people in Ascension, Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. The bayou is also a large recreational outlet in Sportsman’s Paradise, great for fishing and canoeing all the same.

In 2015, BTNEP’s management was astonished when 1200 people of all ages came together for the three-hour cleanup. The cleanup even received financial aid and support from several organizations including Nicholls’ Biology and Geomatics departments. The group collected over 30,000 pieces of trash­­­–including plastic tableware, tobacco products, and hygiene materials.

According to BTNEP’s website for the cleanup, “The biggest problem areas were around bridges and businesses where people are using the bayou as dumping grounds.”