By Jack M. Willis
Journal Correspondent

With additional reporting by the LSU AgCenter Communications Center

Water issues resulting from the urban expansion into rural areas, and increased water uses by industry and agriculture, were discussed at the Northwest Louisiana Watershed Summit's annual meeting at the Red River Research Station on Hwy. 71 south of Bossier City, La. on August 11.

Attendees at the meeting represented agencies and organizations with one primary goal in mind--clean water, and plenty of it, for mankind, at a reasonable cost.

Summit director Mimi Stoker of Zwolle welcomed guests, and introduced the first speaker, Dr. Jere McBride, a Regional Director.

Dr. McBride said that even though the Red River Research Station had its beginnings in 1946, along with the Dean Lee Research Station located at Chambers near LSU-A south of Alexandria, its existence was one of the best kept secrets in the state. He explained, "It was not until we started marketing hot house tomatoes from the station that we gained any measure of notoriety," which elicited a chuckle to those present.

A highlight of the conference was a tour of the Center's Constructed Wetlands project by Dr. Eddie Millhollen of the LSU AgCenter, Bossier City. The group toured on open trailers towed by pickup truck and a farm tractor respectively, with comfortable hay bale seating.

The Wetlands Project at a cost of just over $100,000, was begun in 2003. It consists of two holding ponds covering approximately eight acres, which receives the runoff from just over 400 acres. The acreage is in row crops and cattle pastures, with the inflow being representative of farm land utilization in North Louisiana. One pond is a deep water impoundment with the larger being the shallower of the two. Utilizing a dam with vee-weir headwall intakes facilitates measurement of flow rate, on two culverts installed in a levee between the ponds for water-elevation equalization. Four solar powered sampling stations are in constant operation on the two holding ponds relaying data to the research station computer data banks. There is also a Web Cam, installed on a mast overlooking the project, using infra-red technology, which can be panned around to cover every aspect of the project 24-hours a day, and viewed at any time on the internet. The prime concern of the whole project is to determine what is required to maintain the proper oxygen levels of the impounded waters.

Dr. Bruce Darling, who has a Masters Degree in Mineral Economics and PhD in Hydrolysis. He is the author of a comprehensive Water Management Plan, based on data compiled from questionnaire sent to over 450 individuals he deemed knowledgeable about water acquisition and usage. The data and solutions to problems of ground water usage is available on three CDs consisting of three volumes of information; where the "technical jargon" has been minimized and worded so non-technical people can understand the data and.

"The state was divided into three regions for this plan," Darling said.

"An evaluation of Louisiana's water resources, water quality, historical use of ground water and surface water, as well as the current and projected water demand, was done, and the result is one we believe will be beneficial for Louisiana residents."

The plan is primarily a ground water management plan with emphasis placed on understanding the state's aquifer systems and the interaction of aquifers with overlying drainage basins.

Darling said "When any portion of Louisiana is beset by drought,it is always a state-wide crisis, with no sector being spared."

The industrial sites in Louisiana need and require tremendous amounts of ground water, especially paper mills. This water usage by industry is, and has, posed a burden on Louisiana's aquifers, the reason Chapter Two of the CD series concentrates on the characteristics of the three main aquifers in Louisiana--The Sparta in Northwest Central Louisiana, the Chicot in Southwest Central Louisiana and the Southern Hills of the Florida Parishes.

Chapter III examines water usage state-wide, and Chapter IV examines individually the water consumption from the main aquifers across the state.

Dr. Darling said that in the Chicot aquifer, there is concern that depletion of fresh water in the aquifer may cause intrusion of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. A salinity invasion could create adverse economic consequences in the cities of South Louisiana, and damage to rice and other crops which use ground water for irrigation.

Salinity is almost impossible to reverse. Aquifers have more ability to recharge from surface waters, further north from the coast, because North Louisiana's underground geologic formations are characterized by sandy, gravely formations. Nearer the coast, it is mostly clay which tends to retain whatever type of waters intrude, whether salty or fresh.

By analysis of the information from over 260 of the questionnaires returned, Darling was able to develop a Water Management Plan for ground water in Louisiana.

His studies identified 25 water usage strategies offered to concerned parties for their consideration and implementation.

Dr. Darling commented, "The bottom line derived from all of this is that the populace demands unlimited access to all the water they want, but NO one wants to pay for it!" He noted that everyone was in agreement that ALL hazardous waste sites should be done away with, because this usually involves a federal solution to the problem, and officials on the state or local level are not affected. Darling said that the agriculture sector does not want any restriction or discretionary entitlements granted to water rights anywhere.

He commented, "If any agency proposal, or a potential law being considered by Congress seeks to restrict industrial water usage, the corporations affected then want a tax incentive on their behalf, as a result of restricting their water consumption. And they will refuse to pay any of the costs incurred in the production of usable water."

When questioned about the value of public education, Darling replied, "The so-called educational programs of today are usually a waste of time, and taxpayer's money, because the funds are usually allocated to groups who have no earthly idea how to utilize the funds as they were intended. The few and far between Public Educational forays are woefully inadequate and amount to so much `fluff', and in reality are merely token efforts." He also said that most environmental groups have not taken time to examine readily available competent data, and available studies at their disposal, so they will know what they're talking about.

Ms. Jan Boydstun, head of the State of Louisiana Water Quality Assessment Division, said, "Louisiana has over 2000 streams, bayous and rivers translating the flow of surface water, involving 481 watersheds. The Clean Water Act passed by Congress in 1972 requires that all states are to develop a list of impaired waterbodies. The CWA requires that streams be ranked according to priority, and to develop Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) indicating the maximum daily pollutant limit that can be released into the streams. The CWA also mandates that ALL streams should be made safe for fishing and swimming, but the sad fact is, that the bulk of these water bodies are unsafe for wildlife and fish propagation. There are also over 1,000,000 residents on individual sewage systems, and the bulk of these don't operate properly, resulting in 111 streams, at last count, being contaminated by fecal coliform bacteria."

Ms. Boydstun said another crisis is the low oxygen content in many bodies of water. She said that there is a long, ongoing debate with the EPA as to how properly resolve this dilemma. Factors contributing to low oxygen levels are surface water runoffs containing sediment, nutrients, organic material along with high temperatures and low flow. Most of these oxygen pollutants are released by land disturbance such as forestry activities, farming, construction, and urban storm water inflows.

According to Ms. Boydstun, "The State of Louisiana needs an effective, efficient watershed strategy which will properly address the concerns of the EPA, as well as its citizens. Every day we are striving towards that goal by applying all available funding to attain proper water quality. On the home front, farmers can contact their NRCS office for help in adapting Best Management Practices (BMPs).

"We can achieve water quality standards if all landowners use BMPs," Boydstun said, adding, "Landowners can solve water quality problems without regulation.

"Water quality problems associated with agriculture can be fixed, but it is important to remember that once an area becomes urbanized, it's a lot harder to fix these problems. Have a plan in place to use BMPs before starting any agriculture project and you'll have fewer problems to worry about."

Matthew Stephens, an LSU AgCenter area agent, also spoke about agriculture's "Good Neighbor Policy." With more and more people moving from urban to rural areas, Stephens said more water quality issues will have to be dealt with.

"It's going to take work," Stephens said. "But if we all work together - be good neighbors and respect one another's rights and property - it will work out." The day's program was rounded out with a presentation of Water Testing Procedures by David Schellinger from the W. A. Callegari Environmental Center.

LSU AgCenter's Water Quality Laboratory. Lab manager David Schellinger said basic testing is done at the laboratory, located in the LSU AgCenter's W.A. Callegari Environmental Center in Baton Rouge.

The laboratory, just opened July 1, is equipped to test water samples taken from agricultural runoff, animal waste treatment facilities and waterways such as rivers, streams creeks and ponds.

"We can do single analyses for nitrates, total nitrogen and phosphorus, acidity, alkalinity, bacterial contaminants and others" Schellinger said, "And we also have several packages of analyses for speciation of phosphorus and solids and for analyzing certain potential agricultural sources of non-point source pollution."

Price of the testing varies, but Schellinger pointed out that it is reasonable.

"We charge just what it costs us to run the analyses," Schellinger said, adding that it is recommended people contact the lab before collecting samples.

"We want to be sure all of the proper equipment, such as bottles, ice packs and coolers, laboratory acquisition forms, sampling methods and such are used, and that specific information, such as date, time and weather conditions are noted and correctly recorded," he said. "This will ensure the samples received at the lab are adequate and will provide the best quality results."

Schellinger also said it is important that samples are correctly collected and shipped to prevent sample deterioration or contamination.

For information on how to collect water samples and send them to the Water Quality Lab, go to http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/departments/W.A._Callegari_Environmental_Center/organic_water_labs/water_quality_lab/ or call (225) 765-5155.

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