Mile 90.0 - RBD Belle Chasse Launch Algiers West Bank

90 RBD Belle Chasse Launch Algiers West Bank

Versailles

During the Vietnam Conflict many Vietnamese refugees were resettled to South Louisiana, the thought being that refugees from the Mekong Delta would feel most comfortable in the Mississippi Delta and have opportunities as fishermen and in the seafood industry. A large population of Vietnamese Americans developed in New Orleans East as well as on the West Bank. It is said to be the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. One of these communities is a neighborhood in New Orleans East called Versailles which is centered around Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church. The residents of Versailles live in typical 60’s and 70’s suburban style homes but many backyards and the nearby fields are filled with gardens growing all manner of vegetables, often being tended by folks in traditional conical hats. The water for the gardens, as well as fish, comes from the lagoons and bayous that flow around the neighborhood. Following Hurricane Katrina the residents found out that a landfill for hurricane debris was to be built adjacent to the neighborhood and on a bayou connected to their waterways. The residents, who traditionally kept a low profile and avoided conflict with those outside of their community, organized and began to fight the landfill. Public hearings were flooded by residents, often requiring overflow rooms to hold everyone. The landfill was ultimately shut down before it had accepted very much waste some of which was removed but some still remains. The community is now working to increase its sustainability and developing community based farms and aquaponics. (Paul Orr)

Chalmette/Meraux/Violet Industrial Stretch

Paddleboarders, canoeists and kayakers will want to paddle hard to expedite passage through the busy petrochemical doings within the St. Barnard Parish Port in Chalmette. The heavy dosage petro-aroma is nauseating, especially downwind. Try to paddle as far downstream as Poydras, Twelve Mile Point or Shingle Point before stopping or making camp. Better scenery also. The intense refinery activity is supported by unseen pipelines laid by United Gas, Texaco, Bridgeline, and several unknowns. Likewise, cables buried in the mud under the river connect the city power and communications: New Orleans Railway & Light Co., Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co., Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Co., New Orleans Public Services Inc., Western Union Telegraph Co., Louisiana Power & Light Co., and New Orleans Public Services Inc.