IBERVILLE PARISH - A federal judge deemed a dam blocking a bayou off the Atchafalaya River Basin is illegal and vacated a permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers.

This decision comes after the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper filed a suit, saying the dam on Pat’s Throat Bayou was illegally constructed by Miller Hunting Club in September 2021, blocking water flow and making it impossible for boats to pass through the bayou to reach Billy Little’s Lake and other popular fishing areas.

Additionally, the Basinkeeper argued that the Corps issued an after-the-fact permit. Judge Brian A. Jackson with the Middle District of Louisiana agreed and vacated the permit, saying that the dam did not reach certain conditions.

The Corps had argued that the dam, referred to as "The Miller Structure," had a minimum impact on navigation, arguing that there were other pathways people could take to get to Billy Little's Lake. They also cited a regulation saying a waterway may still be navigable even if an individual traveling by boat must carry their boat in certain areas.

However, the Basinkeeper argued that the Corps had ignored letters from crawfish producers saying the dam had affected their businesses. Additionally, emails from Corps employees were provided saying they did not know the bottom elevation of the Miller Structure, nor did they know any information about the navigability of Pat's Throat, one month after the Corps authorized the dam.

The Corps argued that they knew of Pat's Throat as an active fishing area, but not an active shellfish fishing area; however, Jackson made note that they received notice from crawfishermen that they "commercially fished" in Pat's Throat Bayou and adjacent areas.

"The Court finds that the Corps arbitrarily and capriciously determined that the Miller Structure was not built in an area of concentrated shellfish populations," Jackson said in his ruling.

Read the full ruling here.