U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2016-3068

November 2016

Prepared in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development 

Water Resources of West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

Introduction 

Information concerning the availability, use, and 

quality of water in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana 

(fig. 1), is critical for proper water-resource management. 

The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information 

that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and 

others for stewardship of this vital resource. Information 

on the availability, past and current use, use trends, and 

water quality from groundwater and surface-water sources 

in the parish is presented. Previously published reports 

(see References Cited section) and data stored in the U.S. 

Geological Survey’s National Water Information System 

(http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis) are the primary sources of 

the information presented here. 

In 2010, about 10.9 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of 

water were withdrawn in West Baton Rouge Parish, including 

about 10.2 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 0.73 Mgal/d 

from surface-water sources1

 (table 1). Withdrawals for 

public supply accounted for about 66 percent (7.21 Mgal/d) 

of the total water withdrawn (table 2). Other categories of 

use included industrial, rural domestic, livestock, general 

irrigation, and aquaculture. Water-use data collected at 5-year 

intervals from 1960 to 2010 (fig. 2) indicated that water 

withdrawals peaked in 2000. 

1

Water-withdrawal data are based on estimated or reported site-specific data 

and aggregated data, which are distributed to sources. For a full description 

of water-use estimate methodology, see “Data Collection” in Sargent (2011). 

Tabulation of numbers in text and tables may result in different totals because 

of rounding; nonrounded numbers are used for calculation of totals. 

10

110

190

1

GULF OF MEXICO

WEST BATON ROUGE

PARISH

TEXAS ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA

07373291

10 MILES

10 KILOMETERS

0

0 5

5

EXPLANATION

Approximate altitude of base of fresh

 groundwater, in feet below the National

 Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29)

 (modified from Smoot, 1988)—Deepest

 freshwater contained within the Jasper

 equivalent aquifer system, except

 where noted

 199 and shallower

 200 to 299

 300 to 399

 400 to 499

 500 to 599

 1,500 to 1,999

 2,000 to 2,499

 2,500 and deeper

Approximate boundary of area showing deepest

 freshwater contained within overlying Chicot

 or Evangeline equivalent aquifer system

Fault at ground surface (modified from Griffith, 2003,

 and Tomaszewski, 2011)—Dashed indicates

 approximately located. Teeth on downthrown side

River basin boundary

Line of section (see fig. 3; modified from

 Griffith, 2003)

Well and number for which hydrograph

 is shown (see fig. 4)

U.S. Geological Survey surface-water

 discharge site and number

U.S. Geological Survey surface-water

 quality site and number (see table 4)

A'A

07373420

07373291

WBR-5

l l l

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data

Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

North American Datum of 1983

WEST

FELICIANA

PARISH EAST

FELICIANA

PARISH

WEST

BATON ROUGE

PARISH

EAST

BATON ROUGE

PARISH

POINTE COUPEE

PARISH

IBERVILLE

PARISH

30°25'

30°35'

30°45'

91°25' 91°15'

Baton Rouge

Port Allen

Erwinville

Brusly

Addis

St Francisville

Jasper equivalent

aquifer system

Chicot equivalent

aquifer system

Evangeline equivalent

aquifer system

Lower Grand Basin

Lower MississippiBaton Rouge Basin

A

A'

Choctaw BayouChoctaw Bayou

Mississippi River

Port Allen Lock

Grand Bayou

Cholpe Bayo u

Bayou Fusilier

Gulf Intracoastal Waterway

l l l l l l l l l l

l l l l l l l l l l BATON ROUGE FAULT

TEPETATE FAULT

WBR-5

WBR-100A

WBR-146

302510091203200

07373420

Figure 1. Location of study area, West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.
Table 1. Water withdrawals, in million gallons per day, by source 

in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, 2010 (Sargent, 2011; B.P. 

Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2015).

Aquifer, aquifer system, or

surface-water body Groundwater Surfacewater

Mississippi River

alluvial aquifer

2.88

Chicot equivalent

aquifer system

0.01

Evangeline equivalent 

aquifer system

7.31

Jasper equivalent

aquifer system

0.01

Gulf Intracoastal

Waterway

0.54

Miscellaneous streams 0.19

Total 10.20 0.73

Table 2. Water withdrawals, in million gallons per day, by 

category in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, 2010 (modified 

from Sargent, 2011).

Use category Groundwater Surface 

water Total

Public supply 7.21 0.00 7.21

Industrial 1.50 0.00 1.50

Rural domestic 0.05 0.00 0.05

Livestock 0.03 0.01 0.04

General irrigation 0.35 0.18 0.53

Aquaculture 1.07 0.54 1.61

Total 10.20 0.73 10.93

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Annual withdrawal, in million gallons per day

0

5

10

15

20

25

Groundwater

Surface water

EXPLANATION

Figure 2. Water withdrawals in West Baton Rouge Parish, 

Louisiana, 1960–2010 (Sargent, 2011).

Groundwater Resources

The primary sources of fresh groundwater (water with 

a chloride concentration of 250 milligrams per liter [mg/L] 

or less) in West Baton Rouge Parish are, from shallowest to 

deepest, the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer and the Chicot, 

Evangeline, and Jasper equivalent aquifer systems (fig. 3). The 

base of fresh groundwater is deepest (over 2,500 feet [ft] below 

the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 [NGVD 29]) in 

south-central West Baton Rouge Parish north of the Baton Rouge 

Fault (Griffith, 2003) and is present in the Jasper equivalent 

aquifer system. The base of freshwater is shallowest (less than 

200 ft below NGVD 29) south of the Baton Rouge Fault near the 

southern parish line and is present in the Chicot equivalent aquifer 

system (fig. 1). Generally, the Baton Rouge Fault coincides with 

an abrupt change in depth to the base of freshwater such that 

the base of freshwater is substantially deeper north of the fault 

than it is south of the fault (Griffith, 2003). In West Baton Rouge 

Parish, the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer is relatively flat 

lying, whereas the rest of the aquifer systems in the parish dip in a 

southerly direction toward the Gulf of Mexico (Griffith, 2003).

Precipitation in southeastern Louisiana and southwestern 

Mississippi is the primary source of recharge to the Chicot 

equivalent, Evangeline equivalent, and Jasper equivalent aquifer 

systems (Griffith, 2003). Recharge to the Mississippi River 

alluvial aquifer within West Baton Rouge Parish results from 

infiltration of precipitation through the surface clays; flow from 

the alluvial aquifer to the north, adjacent, and underlying aquifers; 

and localized flow from the Mississippi River. Discharge from 

the parish’s groundwater sources results from well pumping and 

flow into other aquifers. Groundwater in the Chicot equivalent, 

Evangeline equivalent, and Jasper equivalent aquifer systems 

north of the Baton Rouge Fault generally flows in an eastward 

direction toward East Baton Rouge Parish, where the highest local 

withdrawal rates from these aquifers are reported (Tomaszewski, 

1996; Sargent, 2011). Groundwater generally flows southward in 

the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer (Stuart and others, 1994).

The Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer

The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer is a regional aquifer, 

which extends through several States along the Mississippi River, 

and is present throughout West Baton Rouge Parish. In West 

Baton Rouge Parish, the aquifer is generally composed of fine 

sand to pea gravel with a base of gravel (Griffith, 2003). The 

base of the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer ranges from less 

than 200 ft below NGVD 29 in the northern parts of the parish to 

more than 600 ft below NGVD 29 at the southern parish border 

and near the Port Allen Lock (fig. 1). Aquifer thickness ranges 

from over 550 ft near the Port Allen Lock to less than 150 ft near 

Highway 190 at the eastern parish border (Kuniansky and others, 

1989). Because the alluvial aquifer is hydraulically connected to 

the Mississippi River, water levels in wells screened in the aquifer 

can fluctuate in response to river stage fluctuations (Kuniansky 

and others, 1989). The Mississippi River alluvial aquifer is also 

hydraulically connected to the “400-foot” and “600-foot” sands of 

the Chicot equivalent aquifer system (fig. 3). 

State well-registration records listed 87 active water wells 

screened in the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer and surficial 

confining unit in West Baton Rouge Parish in 2015, including 

38 irrigation wells, 22 industrial wells, 24 domestic wells, and 

3 public-supply wells. Depths of these wells ranged from 52 to 
laf15-0709_fig03

0

0 5 KILOMETERS

VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED 5 MILES

FEET

200

NGVD 29

-200

-400

-600

-800

-1,000

-1,200

-1,400

-1,600

-1,800

-2,000

-2,200

-2,400

-2,600

-2,800

-3,000

-3,200

400

FEET

200

NGVD 29

-200

-400

-600

-800

-1,000

-1,200

-1,400

-1,600

-1,800

-2,000

-2,200

-2,400

-2,600

-2,800

-3,000

-3,200

400

POINTE COUPEE PARISH

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH

WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH

EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH

GENERALIZED 

SURFACE PROFILE

BEND IN

SECTION

BEND IN

SECTION

“400-foot” sand

Mississippi River

alluvial aquifer

“600-foot” sand

“600-foot” sand “800-foot” sand

“1,000-foot” sand

“1,200-foot” sand

“1,500-foot” sand

“1,700-foot” sand “1,700-foot” sand

“2,400-foot” sand

“2,000-foot” sand

“2,400-foot” sand

“2,800-foot” sand

“1,000-foot” sand

“2,800-foot” sand

Catahoula

aquifer

“2,000-foot” sand

A A’

WEST EAST

?

?

?

?

?

?

Mississippi

River

Jasper equivalent aquifer system

Evangeline equivalent aquifer system

Chicot equivalent

aquifer system

(source well-log data

limited to this depth)

Freshwater in sand

Saltwater in sand—Saltwater 

 contains greater than 250 milligrams 

 per liter chloride

Clay

Lithologic contact—Separates clay and

 sand layers. Dashed where approximate.

 Queried where uncertain

Hydrogeologic contact—Defines boundary

 between conjoined or merged aquifers

?

Hydrogeologic contact—Defines boundary

 between aquifers or aquifer systems

EXPLANATION

Figure 3. West-to-east hydrogeologic section through West Baton 

Rouge Parish, Louisiana (modified from Griffith, 2003). Trace of 

section shown on figure 1.

384 ft below land surface, and reported yields ranged from 5 to 

4,200 gallons per minute (gal/min) (Louisiana Department of 

Natural Resources, written commun., 2015). In 2010, about 

2.88 Mgal/d were withdrawn from the Mississippi River 

alluvial aquifer in West Baton Rouge Parish (table 1), including 

0.19 Mgal/d for public supply, 1.23 Mgal/d for industrial 

use, 0.02 Mgal/d for rural-domestic use, 0.01 Mgal/d for 

livestock, 0.35 Mgal/d for general irrigation, and 1.07 Mgal/d 

for aquaculture (B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written 

commun., 2015). 

The Chicot Equivalent Aquifer System

The aquifers composing the Chicot equivalent aquifer 

system in West Baton Rouge Parish are the shallow sands 

(not shown on fig. 3 cross-section) and the “400-foot” and 

“600-foot” sands of the Baton Rouge area (fig. 3). The base 

of the Chicot equivalent aquifer system ranges from less than 

350 ft in the northern part of the parish to more than 950 ft in 

the southern part of the parish. The “600-foot” sand merges 

with the “400-foot” and “800-foot” sands in a few localized 

areas (Kuniansky and others, 1989). Grain size ranges from 

fine sand to pea gravel (Griffith, 2003). Water levels at well 

WBR-146 (site number 302853091150201), screened in the 

“400-foot” sand in West Baton Rouge Parish, generally fluctuate 

from 15 to 20 ft annually but remained relatively stable during 

1996–2015 (fig. 4). 

State well-registration records listed 11 active water wells 

screened in the Chicot equivalent aquifer system in West Baton 

Rouge Parish in 2015, including 8 domestic wells and 3 publicsupply wells. Well depths ranged from 359 to 560 ft below land 

surface, and reported yields ranged from 20 to 100 gal/min 

(Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, written commun., 

2015). In 2010, about 0.01 Mgal/d were withdrawn from the 

Chicot equivalent aquifer system in West Baton Rouge Parish 

(table 1) for rural-domestic purposes (B.P. Sargent, U.S. 

Geological Survey, written commun., 2015). 

The Evangeline Equivalent Aquifer System

The Evangeline equivalent aquifer system in West 

Baton Rouge Parish comprises the “800-foot,” “1,000-foot,” 

“1,200-foot,” “1,500-foot,” and “1,700-foot” sands of the Baton 

Rouge area (fig. 3). The altitude of the base of the aquifer system 

ranges from about 1,300 ft below NGVD 29 near the extreme 

northern end of the parish to about 2,400 ft below NGVD 29 near 

the southeastern parish line. The aquifer system is about 1,000 ft 

thick in West Baton Rouge Parish and is composed of generally 

fine- to coarse-grained sand (Griffith, 2003). 

In 2001, water levels in wells screened in the “1,200-foot” 

sand north of the Baton Rouge Fault ranged from about NGVD 

29 along the extreme western and northern edges of the parish 

to nearly 70 ft below NGVD 29 at well WBR-5 (site number 

302732091121901) located at Port Allen (Griffith and Lovelace, 

2003). In 2003, water levels in wells screened in the “1,500-foot” 

and “1,700-foot” sands north of the Baton Rouge Fault ranged 

from about 33 ft below NGVD 29 along the western edge of the 

parish to about 91 ft below NGVD 29 at well WBR-100A (site 

number 302652091121401) located at Port Allen (Griffith and 

Lovelace, 2003; Prakken, 2004). Water levels at well WBR-5, 

screened in the “1,200-foot” sand, declined during 1996–2015, 

and water levels at well WBR-100A, screened in the “1,700-

foot” sand, fluctuated seasonally during 1996–2012, declined 

during 2012–13, and saw a slight increase going into 2015 (figs. 

1, 4). “1,500-foot” and “1,700-foot” sand wells typically have 

similar water levels, indicating hydraulic connectivity. 
laf15-0709_fig 04

Well: WBR-5

Aquifer: "1,200-foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area

Altitude of land surface: 27 ft above NGVD 29

Well depth: 1,335 ft below land surface

Well: WBR-146

Aquifer: "400-foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area

Altitude of land surface: 25 ft above NGVD 29

Well depth: 472 ft below land surface 

Well: WBR-100A

Aquifer: "1,700-foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area

Altitude of land surface: 29 ft above NGVD 29

Well depth: 1,888 ft below land surface 

Year

Water level, in feet

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

50

25

-25

-50

-75

-100

-125

0

Figure 4. Water levels in well WBR-146 screened in the “400-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area, 

well WBR-5 screened in the “1,200-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area, and WBR-100A screened in 

the “1,700-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (see fig. 1 for 

well locations; U.S. Geological Survey, 2015a). Land surface and water levels are measured in feet (ft) 

relative to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29).

State well-registration records listed 48 active water wells 

screened in the Evangeline equivalent aquifer system in West 

Baton Rouge Parish in 2015, including 30 public supply, 10 

domestic, 6 industrial, and 2 irrigation. Well depths ranged 

from 860 to 2,242 ft below land surface, and reported yields 

ranged from about 10 to 1,300 gal/min (Louisiana Department 

of Natural Resources, written commun., 2015). In 2010, about 

7.30 Mgal/d were withdrawn from the Evangeline equivalent 

aquifer system in West Baton Rouge Parish (table 1), and uses 

included about 7.02 Mgal/d for public supply, 0.26 Mgal/d 

for industry, 0.01 Mgal/d for rural domestic, and 0.01 Mgal/d 

for livestock (B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written 

commun., 2015). 

The Jasper Equivalent Aquifer System

The Jasper equivalent aquifer system in West Baton 

Rouge Parish comprises the “2,000-foot,” “2,400-foot,” and 

“2,800-foot” sands of the Baton Rouge area (fig. 3), which are 

generally fine to coarse grained. The Jasper equivalent aquifer 

system is present at depths ranging from about 1,300 ft to at 

least 2,300 ft below NGVD 29 at the northern end of the parish 

and at depths ranging from 1,900 to over 2,800 ft in central 

parts of the parish. The lower portion of the aquifer system, 

including the “2,800-foot” sand, contains saltwater north of the 

Baton Rouge Fault. South of the fault, the entire aquifer system 

generally contains saltwater (Griffith, 2003).

State well-registration records listed seven active water 

wells screened in the Jasper equivalent aquifer system in West 

Baton Rouge Parish in 2015, including 2 public supply and 5 

domestic. Well depths ranged from 1,532 to 2,650 ft below land 

surface, with reported yields of 53 and 750 gal/min (Louisiana 

Department of Natural Resources, written commun., 2015). 

In 2010, about 0.01 Mgal/d were withdrawn from the Jasper 

equivalent aquifer system in 

West Baton Rouge Parish (table 

1) for rural-domestic purposes 

(B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological 

Survey, written commun., 2015). 

Groundwater Quality

A summary of groundwater 

samples collected from 25 wells 

screened in the Mississippi River 

alluvial aquifer and 62 wells 

screened in the Evangeline 

equivalent aquifer system are 

presented in table 3. Evangeline 

equivalent aquifer system 

samples were generally soft,2

with median hardness for the 

Mississippi River alluvial 

aquifer samples falling in the 

very hard range. Median values 

from both aquifers did not 

exceed the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s Secondary 

Maximum Contaminant Levels 

(SMCLs)3

 for color, pH, and 

dissolved-solids concentrations. 

Median iron and manganese concentrations in the Evangeline 

equivalent aquifer system were below the SMCLs, whereas the 

Mississippi River alluvial aquifer samples exceeded the SMCLs. 

Surface-Water Resources 

Surface-water resources in West Baton Rouge Parish are 

present in two drainage basins. The Lower Mississippi-Baton 

Rouge Basin (Hydrologic Unit Code [HUC] 08070100 runs 

in a narrow strip along the Mississippi River and the Lower 

Grand Basin (HUC 08070300) covers the rest of the parish (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2016) (fig. 1). 

The Mississippi River drains little land area within the parish 

because of the presence of levees; however, the upstream drainage 

area, which includes more than 40 percent of the conterminous 

United States, contributed to an average flow of the Mississippi 

River near Red River Landing (site number 07373291; fig. 1 

index map) of about 460,000 cubic feet per second for the period 

1928–76 (Wells, 1980; Demcheck and others, 2004). 

The Lower Grand Basin drains in a general southerly 

direction, and the largest waterway in this basin is the Gulf 

Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) (fig. 1). The GIWW intersects the 

Mississippi River at the Port Allen Lock and flows west and then 

south into Iberville Parish. As its course changes toward the south, 

the GIWW is intersected by Choctaw Bayou, which is fed by 

Grand Bayou and Cholpe Bayou. The Port Allen Lock and GIWW 

in West Baton Rouge Parish form part of an important commercial 

2

Hardness ranges, expressed as milligrams per liter of calcium carbonate, are 

as follows: 0–60, soft; 61–120, moderately hard; 121–180, hard; greater than 180, 

very hard (Hem, 1985). 3

The SMCLs are nonenforceable Federal guidelines regarding cosmetic effects 

(such as tooth or skin discoloration), aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color), 

or technical effects (such as damage to water equipment or reduced effectiveness 

of treatment for other contaminants) of drinking water. SMCLs were established as 

guidelines by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2016). 
Table 3. Summary of selected water-quality characteristics for freshwater in the Mississippi River alluvial aquifer and Evangeline 

equivalent aquifer system in West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (U.S. Geological Survey, 2015b).

[Values are in milligrams per liter, except as noted. °C, degree Celsius; PCU, platinum cobalt unit; μS/cm, microsiemen per centimeter; SU, standard unit; 

CaCO3, calcium carbonate; μg/L, microgram per liter; SMCL, Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (2016); NA, not applicable; <, less than]

Temperature (°C)Color,

(PCU)

Specific 

conductance, 

field

(μS/cm

at 25 °C)

pH,

field

(SU)

Hardness (as 

CaCO3

)

Chloride,

filtered

(as Cl)

Iron, 

filtered 

(μg/L

as Fe)

Manganese, 

filtered

(μg/L as Mn)

Dissolved 

solids, 

filtered

Mississippi River alluvial aquifer, 1942–93 (25 wells)

Median 21.0 10 485 7.4 200 8.0 1,300 110 296

10th percentile 19.5 5 347 7.1 110 5.1 50 2 238

90th percentile 22.0 21 666 7.8 330 21 6,400 590 366

Number of samples 11 6 17 15 25 25 16 11 7

Percentage of 

samples that 

do not exceed 

SMCLs

NA 83 NA 100 NA 100 25 18 100

Evangeline equivalent aquifer system, 1942–2011 (62 wells)

Median 26.5 5 308 8.4 2 3.6 30 16 210

10th percentile 24.4 0 274 7.3 0 2.2 <10 <10 193

90th percentile 30.9 35 377 9.1 14 7.7 880 130 249

Number of samples 43 36 54 48 51 62 28 21 35

Percentage of 

samples that 

do not exceed 

SMCLs

NA 78 NA 54 NA 100 79 76 100

SMCLs

NA 15 NA 6.5–8.5 NA 250 300 50 500

waterway, which greatly reduces the shipping distance between 

the Gulf of Mexico and ports in the Mississippi River to the 

north of and near Baton Rouge. In 2010, about 0.54 Mgal/d 

were withdrawn from the GIWW for aquaculture in West Baton 

Rouge Parish. An additional 0.19 Mgal/d were withdrawn from 

unidentified streams in the parish for livestock (0.01 Mgal/d) 

and general irrigation (0.18 Mgal/d) purposes (tables 1 and 2) 

(B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2015).

Surface-Water Quality

Water samples collected between 1978 and 2010 from the 

Mississippi River near St. Francisville (site number 07373420) 

(fig. 1) indicated that samples were generally hard (table 4) 

and did not exceed SMCLs for pH and concentrations of 

chloride, sulfate, and iron. Dissolved-oxygen concentrations 

were generally greater than 5 mg/L, which is considered the 

minimum value for a diverse population of fresh, warmwater 

biota, including sport fish (Louisiana Department of 

Environmental Quality, 2008). Mississippi River water quality 

varies seasonally because of the rate and distribution of 

precipitation and land-use patterns within its drainage basin. 

Water-quality constituents, such as agricultural pesticides and 

nutrients, generally have the highest concentrations in June 

and July, representing the “spring flush,” which results from 

the runoff of upstream applications of these pesticides and 

nutrients (Demcheck and others, 2004). Suspended-sediment 

concentrations are generally highest in late winter and early 

spring and lowest in late summer and fall (Wells, 1980). 

Four samples taken from Choctaw Bayou near Brusly 

(site number 302510091203200) (fig. 1) were found to be 

hard to very hard (137–222 mg/L). Samples had a pH range 

from 7.5 to 8.1 standard units and dissolved solids ranged 

from 194 to 323 mg/L. Concentrations of chloride, iron, 

sulfate, and manganese were below SMCLs (U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2015b). 
Table 4. Summary of selected water-quality characteristics for the Mississippi River near West Baton Rouge

Parish, Louisiana (U.S. Geological Survey, 2015b).

[Values are in milligrams per liter, except as noted. μS/cm, microsiemen per centimeter; °C, degree Celsius; SU, standard unit; CaCO3, calcium carbonate; μg/L, 

microgram per liter; <, less than; SMCL, Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2016);

NA, not applicable]

Specific

conductance,

field

(μS/cm

at 25 °C)

Oxygen,

dissolved

pH,

field

(SU)

Hardness

(as 

CaCO3

)

Calcium,

filtered

(as Ca)

Magnesium,

filtered

(as Mg)

Sodium,

filtered

(as Na)

Chloride,

filtered

(as Cl)

Sulfate,

filtered

(as SO4

)

Iron,

filtered

(μg/L as 

Fe)

Mississippi River near St. Francisville, 1978–20101

Median 380 8.6 7.8 150 38 12 17 20 44 10

10th percentile 298 6.5 7.3 110 31 8.7 11 14 32 <10

90th percentile 473 11.8 8.0 180 46 16 27 28 66 40

Number of 

samples 412 402 407 400 400 405 346 410 409 393

Percentage of 

samples that 

do not exceed 

SMCLs

NA NA 100 NA NA NA NA 100 100 100

SMCLs

NA NA 6.5–8.5 NA NA NA NA 250 250 300

1

Site number 07373420 (see fig. 1).

References Cited

Demcheck, D.K.; Tollett, R.W.; Mize, S.V.; Skrobialowski, S.C.; Fendick, R.B., Jr.; Swarzenski, C.M.; and Porter, Stephen, 2004, Water quality in the Acadian-Pontchartrain Drainages, 

Louisiana and Mississippi, 1999–2001: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1232, 41 p., 

accessed May 16, 2016, at https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1232.

Griffith, J.M., 2003, Hydrogeologic framework of southeastern Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Water Resources Technical Report no. 72, 21 p., 

18 pls. 

Griffith, J.M., and Lovelace, J.K., 2003, Louisiana ground-water map no. 15—Potentiometric 

surface of the “1,200-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area, Louisiana, spring 2001: U.S. 

Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03–4020, 2 sheets, accessed 

December 6, 2012, at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wri034020.

Hem, J.D., 1985, Study and interpretation of the chemical characteristics of natural water (3d 

ed.): U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254, 264 p., accessed February 20, 

2013, at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wsp2254.

Kuniansky, E.L., Dial, D.C., and Trudeau, D.A., 1989, Maps of the “400-foot,” “600-foot,” and 

adjacent aquifers and confining beds, Baton Rouge area, Louisiana: Louisiana Department 

of Transportation and Development Water Resources Technical Report no. 48, 16 p., 28 pls.

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, 2008, Environmental Regulatory Code, Title 

33, Part IX, Subpart 1: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, 

accessed June 9, 2009, at http:www.deq.louisiana.gov/portal/tabid/1674/Default.aspx.

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This fact sheet was published by the U.S. Geological 

Survey in cooperation with the Louisiana Department 

of Transportation and Development. 

By Vincent E. White and Lawrence B. Prakken

For additional information, contact: 

Director, USGS Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

3535 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite 120

Baton Rouge, LA 70816

E-mail: gs-w-lmg_center_director@usgs.gov

Fax: (225) 298–5490

Telephone: (225) 298–5481

Home Page: http://la.water.usgs.gov

ISSN 2327-6916 (print) ISSN 2327-6932 (online) http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/fs20163068