Bayou Queue de Tortue
Encyclopedia
Bayou Queue de Tortue is a waterway in the Mermentau River
basin of southern Louisiana
in the United States
. The bayou is 55 miles (88.5 km) long and is partly navigable.
The bayou begins near Lafayette
and forms the natural boundary separating Lafayette Parish and Acadia Parish to the west and Acadia Parish and Vermilion Parish to the south.
The area was first settled by the Attakapa Indian tribe. Bayou Queue de Tortue is believed to have been named for Chief Celestine La Tortue of the Attakapas nation. This name is used to describe the early village near Rayne
called Queue de Tortue. The Queue de Tortue village was on property purchased from the Indians in 1801 by John Lyon, one of Acadia Parish's colonial settlers. He paid $87 for land on the south side of Bayou Queue de Tortue, in what is now Vermilion Parish, described as "fifty arpent
s front by the ordinary depth" of 40 arpents.
In the 1940s Bayou Queue de Tortue flood
ed the town of Gueydan
. Vermilion Parish constructed a small levee
in the 1950s. This levee closed off normal flowage of Maree Michel Canal into Bayou Queue de Tortue, but also prevented floodwaters from inundating Gueydan during reverse flow or other flooding situations. From historical maps, this levee was increased in height and possible length from approximately7 feet (2.1 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m) in height. Today, the bayou is silting
, causing additional flooding in low lying areas of Acadia Parish that kills the existing vegetation, which in turn increases erosion and sedimentation that fills the bayou.
Mermentau River
The Mermentau River is a river in southern Louisiana in the United States. It enters the Gulf of Mexico between Calcasieu Lake and Vermilion Bay on the Chenier Coastal Plain.The Mermentau River supplies freshwater for the Mermentau Basin...
basin of southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The bayou is 55 miles (88.5 km) long and is partly navigable.
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and forms the natural boundary separating Lafayette Parish and Acadia Parish to the west and Acadia Parish and Vermilion Parish to the south.
The area was first settled by the Attakapa Indian tribe. Bayou Queue de Tortue is believed to have been named for Chief Celestine La Tortue of the Attakapas nation. This name is used to describe the early village near Rayne
Rayne, Louisiana
Rayne is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,552 at the 2000 census. It is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals".Rayne is part of the Crowley Micropolitan Statistical Area....
called Queue de Tortue. The Queue de Tortue village was on property purchased from the Indians in 1801 by John Lyon, one of Acadia Parish's colonial settlers. He paid $87 for land on the south side of Bayou Queue de Tortue, in what is now Vermilion Parish, described as "fifty arpent
Arpent
An arpent is a unit of length and a unit of area. It is a pre-metric French unit based on the Roman actus. It is used in Quebec as well as in some areas of the United States that were part of French Louisiana.-Unit of length:...
s front by the ordinary depth" of 40 arpents.
In the 1940s Bayou Queue de Tortue flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ed the town of Gueydan
Gueydan, Louisiana
Gueydan is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,598 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. Vermilion Parish constructed a small levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
in the 1950s. This levee closed off normal flowage of Maree Michel Canal into Bayou Queue de Tortue, but also prevented floodwaters from inundating Gueydan during reverse flow or other flooding situations. From historical maps, this levee was increased in height and possible length from approximately7 feet (2.1 m) to 12 feet (3.7 m) in height. Today, the bayou is silting
Siltation
Siltation is the pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments, and to the increased accumulation of fine sediments on bottoms where they are undesirable...
, causing additional flooding in low lying areas of Acadia Parish that kills the existing vegetation, which in turn increases erosion and sedimentation that fills the bayou.