Leland Bowman Lock Litigation – Rice and Crawfish Farmers
December 29th, 2011
Rice and crawfish farmers adversely affected by oil barge collision with the gates of Leland Bowman Lock on September 30, 2011. The lock is located on Freshwater Bayou in Vermillion Parish, Louisiana. As a result of the collision, the gates were damaged and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has removed the gates and sent them to Morgan City, Louisiana to be repaired. The original purpose of the Leland Bowman Lock structure was to keep saltwater from flowing from Vermillion Bay into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. As a result of the flow of saltwater, the salinity levels in the Intracoastal have risen to historically high levels. This adversely affects the rice and crawfish farmers who traditionally flood their fields using water from the Intracoastal Waterway. Pendley, Baudin & Coffin, L.L.P. has filed a class action lawsuit in Vermillion Parish District Court against Canal Barge Company, the owner operator of the towboat and barge which struck the lock gates, seeking damages for all rice and crawfish farmers who will suffer reduced production or the inability to harvest either rice or crawfish because of the high salt level in the Intracoastal water. If you believe you may suffer economic loss as a result of the saltwater in the Intracoastal Waterway, please contact our office for additional information.
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