How Ditches Expand

Canals cut by oil and gas companies many years ago have grown drastically in size over the years and have caused massive wetland loss.  Several things happen when a canal is cut through an otherwise isolated marsh habitat.  First, the water movement is changed, subjecting it to the ebb tide and increasing saltwater flow.  This also causes bank erosion from boat-induced waves.

Additionally, as marshland retreats, a compounding effect occurs within remaining wetland areas.  The area that is dug up by the oil companies, which can be significant if the canal is very large, is immediately and permanently lost due to the canal creation.  This immediate impact adds up to large amounts of acreage as many canals are created. Other things like habitat loss and ecosystem change all work to change the makeup of the original environment.

Another major thing that happens when these canals are cut is that waves push salt water into the marshes.  Salt water kills the marsh and when the marsh dies it subsides, giving waves more room to move and cause more erosion.  Over time the waves are able to push the marshes further and further back making the canals, at times, increase up to 100 percent in size. In fact, there have been tests conducted that have shown a two-foot wide canal to increase to 50 feet in less than two years. This kind of increase drastically depletes the wetlands at an alarming rate.