Collapsed camp along Ouiska Chitto Creek threatening waterway, nearby property owner warns

ALLEN PARISH, La. (KPLC) - An abandoned camp along the Ouiska Chitto Creek is dangerously close to collapsing into the waterway.

The camp has a nearby property owner, Taylor Alexander, concerned about possible effects on area wildlife and people who swim in the creek.

“In years past, it hasn’t been such an urgent matter, but now that the camp has collapsed, this is urgent,” Alexander said.

Alexander has been monitoring this abandoned camp from her property on the other side of the Ouiska Chitto bank for the last five years. She said that in July, the erosion caused the abandoned camp to collapse, and now it could soon be a hazard to the waterway.

“Knowing that it was going to fall in, I started taking pictures of it. A few years ago and I just kept hoping, as we were seeing other people enjoying the beach across the way, I just took it for granted that people were going to do the right thing,” Alexander said.

The camp has wires and appliances that nearly enter the creek.

Alexander said she has reached out to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Allen Parish Police Jury, and the owners of the property, but nothing has been done to remove the eyesore.

“I don’t know who is responsible for ultimately enforcing it, but I just know it needs to be cleaned up before the high waters get here, and we’ll start to see the water rise as soon as the rain starts in December. In January, that bank will be completely underwater and all of that camp will be washed into the waterway,” Alexander said.

Ouiska Chitto Creek is a popular destination for tourists to canoe, fish, and swim, which also has Alexander concerned about the property.

“We know that there are some canoe companies that put in just a couple of bends up the river and they’ve already seen some debris floating down with nails in it that they’ve had to remove,” Alexander said. “It’s already becoming a safety issue for people who enjoy canoeing here.”

7News has reached out to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the Allen Parish Police Jury for comment, but has not heard back yet.