Pat’s Throat Illegal Dam
Another Victory for Crawfishers and the Atchafalaya Basin
Federal Court Vacates Permit for Illegal Dam on Pat’s Throat Bayou, ruling the Corps neglected its duties
(Louisiana) – On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, a federal judge in Louisiana declared the dam on Pat’s Throat Bayou to be illegal and issued a judgment in favor of Basinkeeper and LCPA - West in our organizations’ lawsuit challenging the now-vacated permit for the dam issued by the Army Corps of Engineers. This was the second victory of the day for Basinkeeper, LCPA-West and the Atchafalaya Basin, with the same court issuing a favorable ruling in our suit challenging the East Grand Lake Project, vacating and enjoining the project and saving irreplaceable wetlands of the Basin.
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. After Basinkeeper informed the Corps of the dam and the damage it was causing to the area, the Corps illegally issued an after-the-fact permit for the dam, prompting Basinkeeper to swiftly take action and challenge the permit in court. On Tuesday, a federal judge vacated said permit, ruling that the Corps reached unreasonable conclusions based on the information before it and otherwise failed in its duty to do more than blindly believe the words of a permit applicant.
This win is somewhat bittersweet, as it has been years since the dam was constructed, and a significant amount of irreparable damage and degradation to wetlands and the bayou has already occurred; however, the court’s ruling clarified that the Corps may not simply “rubber stamp” the claims of a permit applicant when deciding whether to issue the permit. Here, the court found that the Corps’ failure to even conduct a site visit before authorizing the dam’s construction represented an illegal departure from its obligations. Ideally, Basinkeeper, LCPA - West, and our allies will be able to use this victory to ensure that no future obstructions to public waters are allowed to remain in our Basin.
Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, founded in 2004, is a member organization of Waterkeeper Alliance, representing over 2000 members. The mission of Atchafalaya Basinkeeper is to protect and restore the swamps, lakes, rivers, streams, and bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin for future generations. For more information, visit basinkeeper.org.
Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West (LCPA-West) was formed in the late 80s-early 90s because of trespassing threats against crawfishermen in the Atchafalaya Basin. The mission of LCPA-West is to fight for and protect the free use of navigable waters and water bottoms of the Atchafalaya Basin and state. LCPA-West also fights to restore the Atchafalaya Basin to its natural state as much as possible and does everything possible to bring the polluters and abusers of the Basin to justice. The organization fights for all users of the basin. For more information, visit lcpawest.com.
PAT’S THROAT SYNOPSIS
Represented by Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, Basinkeeper and LCPA-West filed a lawsuit challenging the after-the-fact permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers legalizing the illegal dam across Pat's Throat Bayou on Thursday 12/28/23.
The Corps did it again. Basinkeeper and our partners filed a Notice of Intent against the illegal developer to have the dam removed and instead of fining the illegal developer and forcing them to remove the dam, the Corps issued an after-the-fact permit, protecting the developer from our legal action. The dam is blocking public access to thousands of acres of swamp, affecting the livelihood of many of our family fishermen. It is also blocking fish migration to their spawning grounds and destroying water quality. Some of the species of fish and shellfish most affected are crawfish, bass, perch, crappie, catfish, buffalo fish and garfish.
