SURFACE WATER QUALITY IN CLAIBORNE PARISH


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Contents

TMDL-D'Arbonne Tributaries (L. Claiborne, Middle Fork, Corney Lake) Environmental Quality Report
And Go To Clean Water Act Page to better interpret these data 

Water Quality Reports for D'Arbonne Tributaries: Summary
 

Bayou D'Arbonne-Headwaters to Lake Claiborne LA080601_00
Overall Use Support Partial
Water Body Type: River Water Body Size: 20 miles
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    NO When Assessed: 2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply Fully
Primary Contact Recreation Not Supporting
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Not Supporting
Suspected Causes of Impairment Salinity/TDS/chlorides, Sulfates
Suspected Sources of Impairment Silviculture, Municipal Point Sources, Agriculture
Bayou D'Arbonne- Lake Claiborne LA080602_00
Overall Use Support Fully
Water Body Type: Fresh Water Lake Water Body Size:  6400 Acres
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    NO When Assessed:      2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply Fully
Primary Contact Recreation Fully
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fully
Suspected Causes of Impairment No Records Found
Suspected Sources of Impairment No Records Found
Bayou D'Arbonne- From Lake Claiborne to Bayou D'Arbonne Lake LA080603_00
Overall Use Support Fully
Water Body Type: River Water Body Size: 35 miles
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    YES When Assessed: 2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply ---
Primary Contact Recreation Fully
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fully
Suspected Causes of Impairment No Records Found
Suspected Sources of Impairment No Records Found
Middle Fork of Bayou D'Arbonne-From origin to Bayou D'Arbonne Lake (Scenic) LA0806010_00
Overall Use Support Partial
Water Body Type: River Water Body Size: 43 miles
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    YES When Assessed: 2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply ---
Primary Contact Recreation Not Supporting
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Not Supporting
Outstanding Natural Resource Not Supporting
Suspected Causes of Impairment Organic enrichment/Low DO, Pathogens, Turbidity
Suspected Sources of Impairment Natural Sources, Silviculture, Agriculture, Municipal Point Sources
Corney Bayou-From Arkansas State Line to Corney Lake (Scenic) LA080607_00
Overall Use Support Fully
Water Body Type: River Water Body Size: 28 miles
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    NO When Assessed: 2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply ---
Primary Contact Recreation Fully
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Not Supporting
Outstanding Natural Resource Not Supporting
Suspected Causes of Impairment Organic enrichment/Low DO
Suspected Sources of Impairment Natural Sources
Corney Lake LA080608_00
Overall Use Support Fully
Water Body Type: Fresh Water Lake Water Body Size: 1920 Acres
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    NO When Assessed:2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply ---
Primary Contact Recreation Fully
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fully
Suspected Causes of Impairment No Records Found 
Suspected Sources of Impairment No Records Found
Corney Bayou-From Corney Lake to Bayou D'Arbonne Lake (Scenic) LA080609_00
Overall Use Support Fully
Water Body Type: River Water Body Size: 21 miles
1999 Court Ordered 303(d) List:    YES When Assessed: 2000
Designated Uses Support
Drinking Water Supply ---
Primary Contact Recreation Fully
Secondary Contact Recreation Fully
Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fully
Outstanding Natural Resource Fully
Suspected Causes of Impairment No Records Found
Suspected Sources of Impairment No Records Found

Surface Water Pollutants in order of frequency of occurence statewide:
1 "Metals" --  (mercury, cadmium, lead, copper--mostly mercury in the Atchafalaya area)
2 "Pathogens" -- test indicator is actually fecal coliforms, which are not normally harmful by themselves, but are used as an indicator of the potential for harmful pathogenic organisms.
3 "Organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen (DO)" -- the third largest suspected cause of impairment, responsible for 2,744 miles of stream impairment. 

Lakes:  Suspected sources of impairments in order of frequency of occurrence statewide:
1 "Unknown sources" -- largely related to metals, sulfate and chloride problems
2 "Natural sources" -- largely related to low DO, sulfates, and chlorides                           3 "Agriculture"
4 "Municipal point source" -- especially related to pathogens
 - with "other related to pathogens" -- package plants, inflow and infiltration, wastewater lagoons, grazing, 5 animal feeding operations, manure lagoons, septic tanks, septage disposal, marinas, and waterfowl
6 "septic tanks" -- especially related to pathogens

Rivers: Suspected sources of impairment in order of frequency of occurrence statewide:
1 "unknown sources and atmospheric deposition"; 2 Municipal point sources (725 square miles); 3 septic tanks 

http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcsupply/tusgsay3.html
USGS SAYS WATER SUPPLY WILL BE ONE OF CHALLENGES IN COMING CENTURY March 2000   U.S. Water News Online RESTON, Va. 

 "The United States and the world face significant challenges in the years to come," said Charles Groat, director of the U.S. Geological Survey. "Over the past century, humans have become agents of significant change to our planet. We have reshaped rivers and coastlines. We have brought new species of plants and animals to places they could never have reached on their own. And, we have increased our vulnerability to the extreme events that are part of Earth's natural processes -- earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, landslides, droughts, and hurricanes."   As the global population continues to grow, he added, people will place greater and greater demands on the resources of our planet, including mineral and energy resources, open space, water, and plant and animal resources. As a result of these changing demands and needs, said Groat, USGS scientists see many scientific challenges for the next century. 
Safe, clean water 
 Safe drinking water is vital to the health of citizens in every community. Reliance on water treatment plants and chlorination is important to safe drinking water but it is clear that strategies must go beyond treatment to protection of water sources.  Increasing urbanization of land used as sources of drinking water, microbial pathogens resistant to chlorination, and proliferation of new synthetic chemical compounds that may have adverse health effects, are challenging the effectiveness of treatment technology. 
 The 21st century will see increased awareness that drinking water supplies are whole systems that include source-water areas, groundwater wells and surface water intakes, treatment plants and distribution systems.  USGS scientists are helping communities protect their drinking water sources by designing computer models and other tools and conducting research to help communities identify, manage, and protect source water areas. 
 Continual development and production of new chemical compounds has dramatically improved food quality, human health, and our daily lives. Increasing knowledge of the close relationship between human activities and the environment has made it clear that the chemical compounds we use can find their way into the nation's water resources. Preliminary results from a USGS study indicate that many compounds commonly used in everyday life are turning up at very low concentrations in streams across the country. 
 Examples of some of the compounds found to date include acetaminophen, caffeine, codeine, cotinine (a nicotine metabolite), 17b-estradiol (a hormone), and sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic). For many of these compounds, the USGS study will provide the earliest data on their environmental occurrence in the nation. The impacts of these chemicals on humans or aquatic life, at the low concentrations they are found in the environment, are generally unknown, but the USGS is working in partnership with health and environmental science agencies as the study proceeds. 
 A major scientific issue in the early part of the 21st century will be the eutrophication of water -- the presence of excess amounts of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus that cause increased growth of aquatic plants, which consume the dissolved oxygen in water needed by other aquatic life. Growth of the human population will increase the demand for food. This will in turn lead to further increases in the use of fertilizers, which could put even more stress on coastal areas, as well as freshwater bodies. 
 USGS scientists are measuring the transport of nitrogen and phosphorus to coastal areas by major rivers to determine how much of the nutrients that enter the streams actually move downstream and how much is lost or transformed to harmless forms. 
The nation's water infrastructure 
 The objectives for the nation's infrastructure of dams, levees, navigation systems and diversions for water were developed between 1930 and 1970, with an emphasis on water for agriculture, electric power, navigation, flood prevention, water for cities and industry and dilution of wastes. These objectives are still valid, but the values and laws under which these systems operate today have a number of added objectives: enhancement of aquatic and streamside or riparian habitat, recreational opportunities and a general desire for preservation of natural environments for future generations. 
 These challenges will require scientists to collaborate with water managers to predict how changes in the management of our water infrastructure will affect its traditional goals and serve the newer environmental goals. USGS scientists are looking at the physical and biological results of modifying or removing these systems. 
Coastal waters -- pristine or polluted? 
 The earth's seemingly boundless oceans and scenic coastlines have limits. The oceans cannot provide unlimited fish to feed growing populations, nor can they absorb unlimited wastes from human activity. As population growth near and adjacent to the coasts increases water quality and ecosystems are impacted and vulnerable shorelines are eroded. Algal blooms, oxygen deficient zones and Pfiesteria are some of the negative impacts resulting from excess nutrients that end up in coastal waters. 
 Even after discharge waters are cleaned up, previously deposited contaminated sediments on the sea floor can be "churned up" by storm waves and continue to negatively impact the offshore ecosystems. USGS scientists are locating, characterizing and quantifying how these sediments and associated contaminants are distributed.
 

Contact:

Claiborne Parish Watershed District, P.O. Box 266, Homer, LA 71040
624-1839 or (318) 927-9832 M?

D'Arbonne Watershed

Loggy Watershed

Black Lake Watershed


Impaired waters
Black Lake Watershed

Watersheds with More Serious Water Quality Problems --Watersheds with aquatic conditions well below State or Tribal water quality goals that have serious problems exposed by other indicators. 
Watersheds with Lower Vulnerability to Stressors -- Watersheds where data suggest pollutants or other stressors are low, and, therefore there exists a lower potential for future declines in aquatic health. Actions to prevent declines in aquatic conditions in these watersheds are appropriate but at a lower priority than in watersheds with higher vulnerability.

CRITERIA
0. National Watershed Characterization (Data Layer 0) 
1. Assessed Rivers Meeting All Designated Uses Set In State/Tribal Water Quality Standards 1996/1998 Using Latest State Information Reported 2. Fish and Wildlife Consumption Advisories 1997 3. Indicators of Source Water Condition for Drinking Water Systems 1990-1997
3a. River and Lakes Supporting Drinking Water Uses 1994/1996 3b. Surrogates of Source Water Condition 1991-1996 3c. Occurence of Chemicals in Surface and Ground Waters that are Regulated in Drinking Water 1990-1997
4. Contaminated Sediments 1980-1993
5. Ambient Water Quality Data - Four Toxic Pollutants 1990-1997
6. Ambient Water Quality Data - Four Conventional Pollutants 1990-1997 
7. Wetland Loss Index 1982-1992; 1780-1980
 7a. Wetland Loss Measured by National Wetlands Iinventory 1982-1992 7b. Wetland Loss Measured by National Wetlands Inventory 1780-1980s
8. Aquatic/Wetland Species at Risk 1996 
9. Pollutant Loads Discharged Above Permitted Limits - Toxic Pollutants 1996, 1997 
10. Pollutant Loads Discharged Above Permitted Limits - Conventional Pollutants 1996, 1997 
11. Urban Runoff Potential 1990
12. Index of Agricultural Runoff Potential (Based Upon Nitrogen, Sediment and Pesticide)(1990- 1995)
12a. Potential Pesticide Runoff from Farm Fields
12b. Potential Nitrogen Runoff from Farm Fields 1990-1995
12c. Sediment Delivery to Rivers and Streams from Cropland and Pastureland 1990-1995
13. Population Change 1980-1990
14. Hydrologic Modification Caused by Dams, 1995-1996 
15. Estuarine Pollution Susceptibility Index Based Upon Pollution Loads and Pollution Retention Characteristics of Estuaries, 1989-1991