Louisiana's bayou is losing land at an alarming rate

More than 10,000 miles of canals have been dredged though Louisiana's bayou since 1950 to support the oil and gas industry barges and pipelines, bringing millions of jobs to the area, but not without a price.

More than a football field size of land disappears here every 100 minutes.

As more natural barriers disappear, saltwater from the gulf floods in, eroding the terrain and changing the nature of this fresh marshland.

Gary Lefleur, Associate Professor of Biology at Nicholls State University, said, "There's a whole lot of oil and gas infrastructure in this area, and especially in this area here, is right where the most accelerated coastal land loss on Earth is happening."

At least six Louisiana parishes are now suing energy companies that have operated along the coast.

CNN asked multiple representatives from the energy industry to be part of this story and received no response.