Barataria Bay

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Surface Area
1673.00km2
Drainage Area
5700.00km2
Average Daily Freshwater Inflow
155.74m3/s
Average Depth
2.00m
Average Salinity
13.00

From: USEPA, 1999; GEMS, 2001
Barataria Bay is located in Louisiana, between Bayou Lafourche to the west and the Mississippi River delta to the east. It is fringed by a complex system of bayous, canals, channels and small embayments. The system is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Grande Terre Islands with Grand Isle on the western boundary. Quatre Bayoux Pass and another pass just east of Grand Isle serve as the primary connections to open Gulf water.

In conjunction with the Timbalier-Terrebone Bay system, Barataria Bay has been designated an estuary of national significance by the Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program. The bay is characterized by swamp forests and marshes which provide a nursery and breeding ground for migratory birds and a variety of recreationally and commercial important species, including alligators, finfish, shellfish, songbirds, ducks and geese.

References

  • USEPA. 1999. Ecological condition of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA 620-R-98-004. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, Florida. 80 pp.

  • Gulf Ecological Management Site (GEMS). 2001. Located on the web at: http://www.dnr.state.la.us/crm/coastmgt/gems/baratari.htm

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