MANCHAC — A longstanding public boat access in Tangipahoa Parish has become the center of a legal dispute after local boaters received notices ordering them to vacate a local canal and the surrounding land within 30 days.
For decades, recreational anglers have relied on the Manchac canal to reach open water. The recent notice claims boaters passing through or docking in the waterway are trespassing on private property.
State Rep. Kim Coates of Ponchatoula said she has been hearing from concerned residents who rely on the canal for their livelihoods and recreation…