U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2014–3080

November 2014

Prepared in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development 

Water Resources of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana

Introduction

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality 

of water in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana (fig. 1), is critical 

for proper water-supply 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 93.6 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water 

were withdrawn in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, including about 

61.9 Mgal/d from surface-water sources and 31.8 Mgal/d from 

groundwater sources1

 (table 1). Withdrawals for rice irrigation 

(62.5 Mgal/d) accounted for about 67 percent of the total water 

withdrawn (table 2). Other categories of use included public 

supply, industrial, rural domestic, livestock, general irrigation, and 

aquaculture. Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 

to 2010 indicated that water withdrawals in the parish peaked in 

1980 at about 548 Mgal/d and have since steadily declined (fig. 2).

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 wateruse 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. TEXAS

ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI

LOUISIANA VERMILION

PARISH

GULF OF MEXICO

Base modified from U.S. Geological Survey digital data

Albers Equal-Area Conic projection

North American Datum of 1983

Ve-637U

JEFFERSON

DAVIS

PARISH

CAMERON

PARISH

IBERIA PARISH

LAFAYETTE

PARISH

VERMILION

PARISH

13

14

167

ACADIA

PARISH

3073

Mermentau Basin

Vermilion 

A' Basin

A

Abbeville

Kaplan

Gueydan

Erath

Pecan

Island

Intracoastal City

Bancker

Leleux

Rayne

Riceville

Perry

08012300 300446092214200

301154092145900

07386935

07386980

SCHOONER BAYOU

CONTROL STRUCTURE

LELAND BOWMAN LOCK

FRESHWATER BAYOU LOCK

Schooner Bayou

Canal

Freshwater Bayou Canal

Mermentau River

Bayou Queue de Tortue

White Lake

Lake Arthur

Vermilion Bay

Gulf Intracoastal WGulf Intracoastal Waterway

Vermilion River

GULF OF MEXICO

Little Bayou

Old Intracoastal

Waterway

92°30' 92°10'

92°00'

92°40'

30°00'

29°50'

29°40'

92°20'

10 KILOMETERS

0

0 2 4 6 8

2 4 6 8 10 MILES

EXPLANATION

Approximate altitude of base of fresh

 groundwater, in feet below National

 Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29)

 (modified from Smoot, 1988)—Deepest

 freshwater contained within Chicot aquifer

 system

 0 to 299

 300 to 499

 500 to 699

 700 to 899

 900 to 1,199

Approximate area where no major aquifer 

 contains freshwater

River basin boundary

Line of section (see fig. 3)

Well and well 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

07386980

Ve-637U

07386935

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

in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, 2010 (Sargent, 2011; B.P. Sargent, 

unpub. data, 2011).

Aquifer system or 

surface-water body Groundwater Surface water

Chicot aquifer system 31.75

Bayou Queue de Tortue 20.18

Vermilion River 20.18

Other streams 21.50

Total 31.75 61.86

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

category in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, 2010 (modified from 

Sargent, 2011).

 Use category Groundwater Surface water Total

Public supply 6.39 0.00 6.39

Industrial 1.55 0.00 1.55

Rural domestic 2.29 0.00 2.29

Livestock 0.07 0.27 0.33

Rice irrigation 5.51 57.02 62.53

General irrigation 0.11 0.44 0.55

Aquaculture 15.83 4.14 19.97

Total 31.75 61.86 93.61

1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Groundwater

Surface water

EXPLANATION

Annual withdrawals, in million gallons per day

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

550

1960–2010 (Sargent, 2011). 

Figure 2. Water withdrawals in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana,

Groundwater Resources

The Chicot aquifer system is the primary source of 

fresh groundwater (water with a chloride concentration of 

250 milligrams per liter [mg/L] or less) in Vermilion Parish (fig. 

3). Deeper aquifers in the parish contain saltwater (water with a 

chloride concentration greater than 250 mg/L) (Smoot, 1986). The 

base of fresh groundwater is present in the Chicot aquifer system

and generally ranges from less than 300 feet (ft) below the National 

Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) in southwestern 

Vermilion Parish to about 1,000 ft below NGVD 29 in northeastern 

Vermilion Parish (fig. 1; Smoot, 1988). No fresh groundwater is 

available in an area south of White Lake as indicated by the gray 

shading on figure 1. 

In Vermilion Parish, the Chicot aquifer system comprises 

the shallow sand, upper sand, and lower sand. The aquifer system 

generally dips and thickens to the south. Recharge to the aquifer 

system is primarily by infiltration of precipitation where the 

aquifer system outcrops in parts of Allen, Beauregard, Evangeline, 

Rapides, and Vernon Parishes (Nyman, 1989). A computer model 

of the Chicot aquifer system indicated that additional recharge 

occurs throughout southwestern Louisiana where heavy pumping 

for irrigation induces infiltration through the surficial clay (Nyman 

and others, 1990). Discharge from the Chicot aquifer system 

is primarily by withdrawals from wells. In 2010, all reported 

groundwater withdrawals in Vermilion Parish came from the Chicot 

aquifer system. Various uses included public supply, industrial, 

rural domestic, livestock, rice irrigation, general irrigation, and 

aquaculture (table 2). 

A surficial confining layer of clay and silt, which restricts 

the flow of groundwater, is generally present from land surface to 

depths ranging from less than 50 ft to greater than 400 ft below 

land surface throughout Vermilion Parish (Sargent, 2004). Within 

the surficial confining layer are scattered sand streaks, lenses, and 

layers collectively referred to as the “shallow sand.” The shallow 

sand is less than 100 ft thick in most areas of the parish; however, 

south of Abbeville, near Bancker (fig. 1), the shallow sand 

thickens to as much as 250 ft. In this area, the overlying confining 

layer thins to less than 20 ft thick, and the underlying clay that 

separates the shallow sand from the upper sand is absent or less 

than 5 ft thick in some areas (Harder and others, 1967). Saltwater 

is present in the shallow sand in this area (Lovelace, 1999). State 

well-registration records listed 2,429 active water wells screened 

in the shallow sand in Vermilion Parish in 2010, including 2,132 

domestic, 171 irrigation, 37 industrial, and 89 public supply. Well 

depths ranged from 12 to 350 ft below land surface, with a median 

depth of 100 ft. Reported yields from wells screened in the shallow 

sand in Vermilion Parish ranged from 2 to 3,600 gallons per minute 

(gal/min) (Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2010).

The upper sand, which underlies the surficial confining layer 

and shallow sand, contains freshwater throughout its areal extent 

in Vermilion Parish except in the southwestern corner where the 

upper sand contains only saltwater. Conflicting data indicated that 

a small area near Bancker may also have no freshwater in the upper 

sand. The upper sand generally contains freshwater throughout its 

thickness only in northern parts of the parish. Throughout most of 

the parish, freshwater in the upper sand is underlain with saltwater 

(Nyman, 1984). The top of the upper sand ranges from less than 

200 ft to more than 600 ft below NGVD 29, and the base extends 

to about 1,200 ft or more below NGVD 29 within the parish 

(Nyman, 1984). State well-registration records listed 2,701 active 

water wells screened in the upper sand in Vermilion Parish in 2010, 

including 1,992 domestic, 527 irrigation, 114 public supply, and 

68 industrial. Well depths ranged from about 60 to 716 ft below 

land surface, with a median depth of 170 ft. Reported well yields 

have ranged from 2 to 5,975 gal/min (Louisiana Department of 

Natural Resources, 2010).
VERTICAL DATUM IS NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM OF 1929 (NGVD 29)

VERTICAL SCALE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

Chicot aquifer system

Shallow sand layer

Lower sand layer

Surficial confining

layer

NGVD 29

-200

-400

-600

-800

-1000

-1200

Vermilion River Vermilion River

0 1 2 3 4 MILES

0 1 2 3 4 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

Sand

Sandy clay

Clay and silt

Contact (dashed

 where approximate)

200

SOUTH

A

NORTH

A’

Little Bayou

FEET

NGVD 29

-200

-400

-600

-800

-1000

-1200

200

FEET

Upper sand layer

Figure 3. South-to-north hydrogeologic section showing sand layers in the Chicot aquifer system in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana (modified from 

Harder and others, 1967). Trace of section shown on figure 1. 

A clay layer that ranges in thickness from less than 10 ft 

to as much as 200 ft underlies the upper sand and separates it 

from the lower sand. The lower sand contains freshwater only 

in the extreme northeastern corner of Vermilion Parish, along 

the borders with Lafayette and Acadia Parishes. In this area, 

freshwater is present to a depth of over 1,000 ft; south of this 

area, the lower sand contains only saltwater (Nyman, 1989). 

State well-registration records did not include any active wells 

screened in the lower sand in Vermilion Parish in 2010. 

In January 2003, water levels in the Chicot aquifer system 

ranged from about the NGVD 29 near the coastline to about 35 ft 

below NGVD 29 near the northwestern parish line (Lovelace and 

others, 2004). In 2003, the general direction of groundwater flow 

in the Chicot aquifer system in western Vermilion Parish was to 

the north, and in eastern Vermilion Parish, it was to the northwest 

(Lovelace and others, 2004). The direction of flow is a result 

of large groundwater withdrawals, primarily for rice irrigation, 

within Vermilion Parish and other parishes to the north and 

northwest. In Vermilion Parish, water levels in the Chicot aquifer 

system upper sand generally fluctuate from 1 to 3 ft seasonally in 

response to seasonal water demands (fig. 4).

A statistical summary of selected water-quality 

characteristics for freshwater samples collected from 196 wells 

screened in the Chicot aquifer system in Vermilion Parish is 

listed in table 3. The median value for hardness, 200 mg/L, is 

within the very hard range.2

 Iron and manganese concentrations 

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).

generally exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 

Secondary Maximum Contaminant Levels3

 (SMCLs) for 

drinking water. The pH of the water is generally within the 

SMCL range of 6.5–8.5 standard units.

Saltwater encroachment into fresh groundwater supplies is a 

concern for Vermilion Parish. Prior to groundwater development, 

the direction of flow in the Chicot aquifer system was generally 

southward toward the coast. Pumping from the aquifer system 

within Vermilion Parish and in parishes to the north has changed 

the direction of groundwater flow. Presently, groundwater flows 

northward, providing a gradient for saltwater to move inland 

from the coast toward pumping centers (Lovelace, 1999).

Surface-Water Resources 

In 2010, about 61.9 Mgal/d of surface water were 

withdrawn in Vermilion Parish (tables 1 and 2). Withdrawals for 

rice irrigation accounted for about 92 percent of all surface-water 

withdrawals. Other uses included livestock, general irrigation, 

and aquaculture. Surface-water sources included Bayou Queue 

de Tortue, Vermilion River, and other streams (table 1). Notable 

bodies of water in or bordering the parish include the Gulf of 

3

The SMCLs are nonenforceable Federal guidelines regarding cosmetic 

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

odor, or color) of drinking water. At high concentrations or values, health 

implications as well as aesthetic degradation might exist. SMCLs were 

established as guidelines for the States by the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (1992). 
Year

Water level altitude, in feet (ft)

-14

-12

-10

-8

-6

-4

-2

0

Well: Ve-637U

Altitude of land surface: 4.06 ft above NGVD 29

Well depth: 198 ft below land surface

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Figure 4. Water 

levels in well Ve-637U 

screened in the upper 

sand of the Chicot 

aquifer system in 

Vermilion Parish, 

Louisiana (see fig. 1 

for well location; U.S. 

Geological Survey, 

2010a). Altitude of land 

surface and water 

level are measured 

in feet (ft) relative to 

the National Geodetic 

Vertical Datum of 1929 

(NGVD 29). 

Table 3. Summary of selected water-quality characteristics for freshwater from the Chicot aquifer system in Vermilion Parish, 

Louisiana, 1944–2009 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010b).

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

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

Agency (2012); NA, not applicable]

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

Chicot aquifer system (196 wells)

Median 22 5 802 7.4 200 62 1,200 140 438

10th percentile 21 0 532 7.0 150 18 390 64 280

90th percentile 23 24 1,110 7.8 270 180 2,000 330 598

Number of samples 109 34 145 76 104 190 50 50 65

Percentage of 

samples that do not 

exceed SMCLs

NA 82 NA 99 NA 100 8 8 71

SMCLs

NA 15 NA 6.5–8.5 NA 250 300 50 500

Mexico, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Mermentau River, 

Lake Arthur, White Lake, and Vermilion Bay (fig. 1). Vermilion 

Parish is divided into the Mermentau drainage basin in roughly 

the western two-thirds of the parish and the Vermilion drainage 

basin in the eastern one-third of the parish (fig. 1; U.S. Geological 

Survey, 2013a). As a coastal parish, the direction of water 

movement in these two basins is a concern in terms of consistent 

availability of fresh surface water. Saltwater intrusion from the 

Gulf of Mexico into parish waterways could adversely affect 

wildlife, freshwater flora, and agriculture, particularly rice and 

crawfish production. 

In 2010, about 20.2 Mgal/d of water were withdrawn in 

Vermilion Parish from the Vermilion River. During 1984–2012, 

the average daily discharge for the Vermilion River at Perry 

(site number 07386980; fig. 1) was 1,140 cubic feet per second 

(ft3/s) (737 Mgal/d) (U.S. Geological Survey, 2013b). Reverse 
(upstream) flow in the river can occur during periods of low flow, 

sustained southerly winds, or high tides (Baker, 1988). Water 

samples from the Vermilion River collected a few miles upstream 

from Vermilion Parish in Lafayette Parish at State Highway 3073 

(site number 07386935; fig. 1) during 1983–86 (table 4) indicated 

that, in general, the water is soft and does not exceed SMCLs for 

pH and concentrations of chloride, sulfate, and iron. The median 

value for dissolved oxygen concentration was 5.3 mg/L. The 

minimum value for a diversified population of fresh, warmwater 

biota, including sport fish, is 5 mg/L of dissolved oxygen 

(Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, 2008). 

In 2010, about 20.2 Mgal/d of water were withdrawn from 

Bayou Queue de Tortue in Vermilion Parish. During 1985–90, 

the average daily discharge for Bayou Queue de Tortue at 

Riceville (site number 08012300; fig. 1) was about 364 ft3/s 

(U.S. Geological Survey, 2013b). Reverse flow can occur at this 

site. A limited number of water samples collected from Bayou 

Queue de Tortue near Rayne (site number 301154092145900), 

Leleux (site number 300446092214200), and Riceville from 1989 

to 2001 (table 4; fig.1) indicated that, in general, the water is 

moderately hard to hard and does not exceed SMCLs for pH and 

concentrations of chloride, sulfate, and iron. Dissolved oxygen 

concentrations generally are below 5 mg/L. 

Lake Arthur is a shallow lake formed by a widening of the 

Mermentau River that feeds and drains the lake. The average 

altitude of the lake surface is estimated to be about 4 ft above 

NGVD 29. At this altitude, the lake has a surface area of 

about 6 square miles (mi2) and an average depth of about 7 ft 

(Shampine, 1971). White Lake is a natural water body with a 

surface area of 81 mi2 and an average depth of 4.5 ft. The main 

source of inflow to White Lake is the Old Intracoastal Waterway, 

which indirectly receives flow from the Mermentau River in 

neighboring Cameron Parish. Presently, White Lake contains 

mostly freshwater. Prior to the construction of control structures 

in the Mermentau Basin during 1950–86 (U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, n.d.), White Lake contained brackish water (water 

which contains between 1,000 and 10,000 mg/L of dissolved 

solids) because of saline water (water which contains 1,000–

35,000 mg/L of dissolved solids) intrusion from the Gulf of 

Mexico (Shampine, 1971). 

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which traverses central 

Vermilion Parish in a general east-west direction, is the largest 

continuous ship channel in coastal Louisiana (Swarzenski, 

2003). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains various 

control structures, including the Leland Bowman Lock, the 

Schooner Bayou Control Structure, and the Freshwater Bayou 

Table 4. Summary of selected water-quality characteristics for the Vermilion River and Bayou Queue de Tortue, Louisiana (U.S. 

Geological Survey, 2010b).

[Values are in milligrams per liter, except as noted. μS/cm, microsiemens per centimeter; °C, degrees Celsius; SU, standard units; CaCO3, calcium carbonate; 

μg/L, micrograms per liter; SMCL, Secondary Maximum Contaminant Level established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2012); NA, not 

applicable; E, estimated (result was extrapolated outside the calibration curve, see Childress and others, 1999)]

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)

Vermilion River at State Hwy 3073 at Lafayette, 1983–861

Median 143 5.3 7.1 43 11 4.0 10 12 10 190

10th percentile 87 3.7 6.2 27 7.1 2.2 5.5 6 5.2 140

90th percentile 193 6.9 7.6 62 16 5.4 16 19 16 250

Number of 

samples

13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 3

Percentage of 

samples that 

do not exceed 

SMCLs

NA NA 100 NA NA NA NA 100 100 100

Bayou Queue de Tortue at three sites, 1989–20012

Median 400 1.8 7.7 89 21 9.4 49 35 4.1 20

10th percentile 235 0.9 7.3 56 14 5.2 19 14 2.3 E9

90th percentile 636 4.9 8.2 140 32 15 90 60 8.2 80

Number of 

samples

18 17 18 18 18 18 16 16 17 17

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 07386935. 

2Site numbers 08012300, 301154092145900, 300446092214200.
Lock (fig. 1), to direct floodwaters, maintain freshwater for 

irrigation, and restrict movement of saltwater from the Gulf of 

Mexico into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and other coastal 

waterways in the parish (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, n.d.). 

References Cited 

Baker, N.T., 1988, Hydrologic features and processes of the Vermilion River, 

Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 

88–4019, 49 p., accessed November 8, 2012, at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/

publication/wri884019.

Childress, C.J. Oblinger, Foreman, W.T., Connor, B.F., and Maloney, T.J., 1999, 

New reporting procedures based on long-term method detection levels and 

some considerations for interpretations of water-quality data provided by the 

U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 99–193, 19 p.

Harder, A.H., Kilburn, Chabot, Whitman, H.M., and Rogers, S.M., 1967, Effects 

of ground-water withdrawals on water levels and saltwater encroachment in 

southwestern Louisiana: Department of Conservation, Louisiana Geological 

Survey, and Louisiana Department of Public Works Water Resources Bulletin 

no. 10, 56 p.

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.

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.

Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2010, Strategic Online Natural 

Resources Information System (SONRIS): Louisiana Department of Natural 

Resources database, accessed August 18, 2010, at http://sonris.com/.

Lovelace, J.K., 1999, Distribution of saltwater in the Chicot aquifer system of 

southwestern Louisiana, 1995–96: Louisiana Department of Transportation and 

Development Water Resources Technical Report no. 66, 61 p. 

Lovelace, J.K., Fontenot, J.W., and Frederick, C.P., 2004, Withdrawals, water 

levels, and specific conductance in the Chicot aquifer system in southwestern 

Louisiana, 2000–03: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2004–5212, 56 p., accessed July 25, 2012, at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/

sir20045212. 

Nyman, D.J., 1984, The occurrence of high concentrations of chloride in the 

Chicot aquifer system of southwestern Louisiana: Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development, Office of Public Works Water Resources 

Technical Report no. 33, 75 p. 

Nyman, D.J., 1989, Quality of water in freshwater aquifers in southwestern 

Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Water 

Resources Technical Report no. 42, 22 p., 28 pls. 

Nyman, D.J., Halford, K.J., and Martin, Angel, Jr., 1990, Geohydrology and 

simulation of flow in the Chicot aquifer system of southwestern Louisiana: 

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Water Resources 

Technical Report no. 50, 58 p.

Sargent, B.P., 2004, Thickness of the Chicot aquifer system surficial confining unit 

and location of shallow sands, southwestern Louisiana: Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development Water Resources Technical Report no. 73, 29 p.

Sargent, B.P., 2011, Water use in Louisiana, 2010: Louisiana Department of 

Transportation and Development Water Resources Special Report no. 17, 135 p. 

Shampine, W.J., 1971, Chemical, biological, and physical data for the major lakes 

and reservoirs in Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Public Works Basic 

Records Report no. 5, 98 p. 

Smoot, C.W., 1986, Louisiana hydrologic atlas map no. 2—Areal extent of 

freshwater in major aquifers of Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 86–4150, 1 sheet, accessed January 18, 2012, 

at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wri864150.

Smoot, C.W., 1988, Louisiana hydrologic atlas map no. 3—Altitude of the 

base of freshwater in Louisiana: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources 

Investigations Report 86–4314, 1 sheet, accessed November 2, 2011, at http://

pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/wri864314.

Swarzenski, C.M., 2003, Surface-water hydrology of the Gulf Intracoastal 

Waterway in south-central Louisiana, 1996–99: U.S. Geological Survey 

Professional Paper 1672, 51 p. 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, [n.d.], The Mermentau Basin Project: U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, accessed August 23, 2010, at http://

www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Portals/56/docs/PAO/Brochures/mermentau.pdf. 

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regulations—Guidance for nuisance chemicals: U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency publication EPA 810/K-92-001, 4 p., accessed September 28, 2011, at 

http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/secondarystandards.cfm.

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water standards and health advisories: U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency publication EPA 822-S-12-001, Office of Water, 12 p., accessed 

August 7, 2012, at http://water.epa.gov/action/advisories/drinking/upload/

dwstandards2012.pdf. 

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USGS 295345092100702 Ve-637U]: National Water Information System Web 

Interface, accessed August 17, 2010, at http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/la/nwis/

gwlevel/?site_no=295345092100702.

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Water Information System Web Interface, accessed May 22, 2010, at http://

nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/la/nwis/qwdata/.

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watershed: Lower Mississippi, accessed December 12, 2013, at http://water.

usgs.gov/wsc/reg/08.html.

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National Water Information System Web Interface, accessed December 9, 

2013, at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/dvstat/?referred_module=sw. 

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

Survey, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department 

of Transportation and Development (DOTD). Thanks 

are given to Zahir “Bo” Bolourchi, Director, Water 

Resources Programs, DOTD, who contributed to the 

content of the fact sheet.

By Lawrence B. Prakken and Vincent E. White

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/fs20143080