Crews are working along the Vermilion River in Lafayette Parish. It's the first phase of Lafayette Consolidated Government's plan to spot dredge the river, preventing future flooding.
According to officials with Dredge the Vermilion, a contracted company has cleared two miles of the river within the last two weeks. Brent Logan and Harold Schoeffler tell KATC they have ten miles in total to clean.
"They should do it every year, after every hurricane," Schoeffler said.
Each day the crew empties barges full of debris.
"It's natural, you gotta do regular maintenance so the water can get out of here quicker," explained Logan.
The crew is only allowed to clean out floating debris such as tree limbs; however, Logan says those loose trees are not only a hazard to boaters, but they can also cause major flooding.
"It starts building up and becomes a dam," he said.
KATC also spoke with an advocate for the river who says they are unsure what LCG is doing, and they fear it may undo work already done to prevent erosion.
A spokesperson with the company working on the river tells KATC they are working to obtain a permit that will allow them to pull debris from under the water.
Read more from Dredge the Vermilion here.
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