JoUn Woodard: 1 am involved in tlie management of surface resources of extensive 

 wetlands in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes for my company, Tenneco LaTerre. 

 We lease surface resources for fur trapping, alligator hunting, waterfowl and game 

 hunting. These uses require some activities including the placement of canals to 

 utilize the resources to their fullest. Many of the canals constructed for this 

 purpose are now wide waterways, bearing out what erosion has done. About 40 years 

 ago most large land owners became involved in an extensive marsh management 

 program mainly for hunting and trapping interests. We recognized how critical it is 

 to maintain stable water levels as they affect the integrity and productivity of the 

 marsh. These management programs have included construction of levee systems, 

 mud plugs, and water control structures that allow tidal exchange and have been 

 quite successful in reducing the impacts of later operations such as oil and gas 

 operations. Although the deterioration from the dredging of canals has not been 

 reduced to a minimum, enormous strides have been made because the land owners 

 have been able to work with the oil and gas operators to suggest designs which 

 reduce these rates of deterioration. Discussions among the land owners, oil and gas 

 operators, and regulatory agencies generally result in further refinement to reduce 

 the amount of detrimental activity required to drill a well or place a pipeline. 

 Energy production is very important for the State and Nation, thus we need logical 

 plans which allow continued energy production together with needed environmental 

 protection. 



David Mekasski: Where wetland protection through such means as directional drilling is 

 not economically feasible, what are the benefits and limitations of mitigating these 

 effects through restoration of wetlands in another areas? 



Michael Lyons: A number of companies have on the suggestion of Federal agencies or 

 the Coastal Management Section backfilled existing canals. We are not sure what 

 the benefits of backfilling are, but much more backfilling is being done today and 

 has been done within the last two years. 



Unidentified speaker: We have seen aerial photographs of intense development of canals, 

 sometimes with parallel, adjacent access canals. Do oil companies cooperate and 

 use existing access canals where possible to reduce this effect? 



Michael Lyons: In the early years of development that was more prevalent, but there is 

 not much of that today. 



Joel Lirxlsey: There have been some problems in one company gaining access through 

 another's canal. There may be legal constraints. But it is very difficult now for 

 companies to dredge parallel canals nearby because of permitting review. 



Len Bahr: Is there any technical reason for leaving wellhead access canals at their 

 original depth and width after the drilling barge is removed? Couldn't they be 

 serviced by smaller vessels requiring smaller access channels? 



John Woodard: Servicing of the well with a workover rig requires nearly the same draft 

 as the initial drilling rig. 



Johannes van Beek: Given that drilling is likely to continue, how do we determine the 

 processes which affect the ecosystem through hydrological modification by canals 

 and the procedures to mitigate adverse effects? 



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