Stagnant swamp water causes odor in Bayou Manchac

State officials say a stinky smell reported from Bayou Manchac last week stems from stagnant swamp water in Spanish Lake that heavy rains pushed into the bayou.

Rodney Mallett, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesman, tells The Advocate in an email that inspectors reached that conclusion by tracking the flow of the water, visual observations and some field parameters.

Mallett said the stagnated water washed through Alligator Bayou to Bayou Manchac.

DEQ officials say the same phenomenon has occurred a few times a year for the past three to four years.

Alligator Bayou drains Spanish Lake into Bayou Manchac through a floodgate in Iberville Parish. The bayou runs along the borders of East Baton Rouge, Ascension and Iberville parishes to the Amite River.