Ground Water

DNR BEGINS PROGRAM TO CLEAN UP UNDERWATER HAZARDS IN COASTAL WATERS

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will soon employ divers and other professionals that will survey, locate and remove underwater obstructions and debris in coastal Louisiana waters. The new program known as the Underwater Obstruction Removal Program is administered by the Office of Conservation and was established by Act 666 of the 1997 Louisiana legislature. Diver surveys and hang removal work is expected to begin in May, DNR officials announced today.

Underwater obstructions, commonly called "hangs" by shrimpers, have cost mariners and the oil and gas industry millions of dollars in damages to nets and boats. In 1980, the state legislature created the Fishermen's Gear Compensation Program to compensate fishermen and shrimpers who suffer equipment losses due to underwater hazards. Over the past years, this program has paid out millions of dollars. Now, DNR officials say the removal program will complement the existing program by identifying the hang, marking it, and removing it from coastal waters.

Final rules for the Underwater Obstruction Removal Program were published in the Louisiana Register in February and an initial budget of $1.6 million has been authorized. DNR is currently soliciting contractors for diving and salvage services. All work will be awarded under the provisions of the Public Bid laws.

Additional information about the program can be obtained by contacting Program Manager Bruce Ballard, DNR Office of Conservation, P.O. Box 94275, Baton Rouge, or call (504) 342-6293.