There’s about thirty drainage ditches, streams and canals on the St. John Parish side of Pass Manchac and about twelve in Tangipahoa Parish that pass under the railroad and the roads of the Manchac Greenway. These help equalize the water levels on the swampy isthmus between the two lakes. Some are not much more than ditches, some are natural features and are considerably wider. Some are wide enough to accommodate small, impromptu boat launches. Most have their banks crowded with vegetation and many get clogged with invasive aquatic vegetation in summer.
They’ve been functioning as fishing holes and have been enjoyed by generations of anglers pulling over on the side of the road and wetting a line. The Friends of the Manchac Greenway would like to see some of these improved by selectively removing vegetation and leaving shade, installing walkways across low spots and providing off-road parking.
