U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Prepared in cooperation with the

LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT 

OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS, HURRICANE FLOOD PROTECTION, AND INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION 

 WATER RESOURCES PROGRAMS

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS MAP 2984

Amite Aquifer and “2,800-Foot” Sand—SHEET 1 OF 1

Fendick, R.B., Jr., 2007, Louisiana Ground-Water Map No. 22: Generalized Potentiometric Surface of the Amite Aquifer 

and the “2,800-Foot” Sand of the Baton Rouge Area in Southeastern Louisiana, June–August 2006

Introduction

The Amite aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area (hereafter referred to as the “2,800-foot” sand) 

are principal sources of fresh ground water in southeastern Louisiana. Both the Amite aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand are 

part of the Jasper equivalent aquifer system. The Amite aquifer is heavily pumped in the Bogalusa area, and the “2,800-

foot” sand is one of the most heavily pumped aquifers in East Baton Rouge Parish (fig. 1). The Baton Rouge fault zone, 

which acts as a barrier to flow, trends approximately west-northwest from a point just south of The Rigolets through 

southern West Baton Rouge Parish (Rapp, 1994; Prakken, 2004), and is the approximate southern limit of freshwater in the 

aquifers (fig. 1). 

For the purposes of this report, freshwater is defined as water having less than 250 mg/L of chloride, and most of the 

water withdrawals described in this report were assumed to be fresh. In 2005, about 18 Mgal/d was withdrawn from the 

Amite aquifer, primarily for public-supply use (8.4 Mgal/d) and industrial use (9.6 Mgal/d). During this same period, about 

32 Mgal/d was withdrawn from the “2,800-foot” sand, primarily for public-supply use (13 Mgal/d) and industrial use 

(19 Mgal/d). Public-supply and industrial withdrawals from the Amite aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand are listed in table 1 

(B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2006).

Table 1. Withdrawal rates for public-supply and industrial use, by parish, for the Amite aquifer 

and "2,800-foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area in southeastern Louisiana, 2005.

[Source: B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2006] 

Parish

Annual amount, in million gallons per day

Public-supply Public-supply use use Industrial use plus industrial use

Total,

1 all uses

Amite aquifer

St. Tammany 0.3843 0.0000 0.3843 0.3843

Tangipahoa 3.9101 .0000 3.9101 3.9478

Washington 4.1472 9.6511 13.7983 13.7983

Total 8.4416 9.6511 18.0927 18.1304

"2,800-Foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area

East Baton Rouge 9.2108 18.8267 28.0375 28.0753

East Feliciana 1.4715 .0000 1.4715 1.4741

Pointe Coupee 1.2669 .0079 1.2748 1.3286

St. Helena .3642 .0000 0.3642 .3642

West Feliciana .6530 .4205 1.0735 1.1570

Total 12.9664 19.2551 32.2215 32.3992

 1All uses include industrial, public-supply, power generation, rural domestic, livestock, 

irrigation, and aquaculture.

According to data from the Louisiana State Census Data Center (2003), some of the largest population increases in the 

State during the period 1990 to 2000 occurred in St. Tammany (32.4 percent), Livingston (30.2 percent), and Tangipahoa 

(17.4 percent) Parishes. These population increases have been accompanied by increased withdrawals of ground water during 

the same period (Lovelace, 1991; Sargent, 2002): 40 percent in St. Tammany Parish, 63 percent in Livingston Parish, and 

35 percent in Tangipahoa Parish (Prakken, 2004). An increase in population in these parishes is expected from population 

displacement due to damages from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita crossing the Louisiana coast in August and September of 

2005 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006).

Additional information about ground-water flow and effects of increased withdrawals on water levels in the Amite 

aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand is needed to assess ground-water-development potential and to protect this resource. To 

meet this need, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, began a study in 2005 to determine water levels, flow direction, and water-level trends for the Amite aquifer and 

“2,800-foot” sand. This report presents data and a map that describe the generalized potentiometric surface of the Amite 

aquifer and “2,800-foot” sand in southeastern Louisiana. Graphs of water levels in selected wells and a table of withdrawals 

from the Amite aquifer and “2,800-foot” sand show historical changes in water levels and water use. The generalized 

potentiometric-surface map illustrates the water levels and ground-water flow directions for June–August 2006. These data 

are on file at the USGS office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Description of Study Area

The study area (fig. 1) is located in southeastern Louisiana and covers all or parts of the following parishes: East Baton 

Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, and West Feliciana. St. 

Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes also are known as the eastern Florida Parishes. The study area is bounded 

approximately by the western boundaries of Pointe Coupee and East Baton Rouge Parishes to the west, the LouisianaMississippi state line to the north, the Pearl River to the east, and the Baton Rouge fault to the south. The largest population 

centers in the study area are the Baton Rouge metropolitan area, Slidell, the Covington-Mandeville area, Hammond, and 

Bogalusa (Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, 2005).

Land-surface altitudes generally are higher in the northern part of the study area and decrease toward the south. Landsurface altitude ranges from about 10 ft above NGVD 29 in the backswamp areas of East Baton Rouge Parish, near the 

Mississippi River, to more than 340 ft above NGVD 29 in East and West Feliciana Parishes.

The climate in the study area is humid subtropical. The average annual temperature for the area is about 69 ο

F (National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2005a), and the average annual rainfall is about 64 in/yr (National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration, 2005b).

Acknowledgments

The cooperation of municipal, industrial, and private well owners during data collection was greatly appreciated. Special 

thanks to Zahir “Bo” Bolourchi, Director, Water Resources Programs, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, for providing water-well registration data and assistance in the publication of this report.

Hydrogeology

The Amite aquifer in St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes and the “2,800-foot” sand in East Baton 

Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, and West Feliciana Parishes are part of the Jasper equivalent 

aquifer system of southeastern Louisiana and are of Miocene age (fig. 2). The aquifer system was deposited as an off-lapping 

sequence of continental, deltaic, and marine sediments along the northern flank of the Gulf Coast geosyncline. As shown in 

figure 2, the Amite aquifer is correlative with the “2,800-foot” sand. In the eastern Florida Parishes, the Amite aquifer lies 

between the overlying Hammond aquifer and underlying Ramsay aquifer. In the Baton Rouge area, the “2,800-foot” sand lies 

between the overlying “2,400-foot” sand and an underlying unnamed confining unit. The Jasper equivalent aquifer system 

generally dips in a southerly direction about 30 ft/mi or less in the outcrop areas (southern Mississippi and the northern half

of the study area) and shallow subsurface and increases southward, reaching 100 ft/mi or more at depths of 2,000 to 3,000 ft 

(Martin and others, 1988).

The Amite aquifer is one of the most continuous aquifers in St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes. The 

aquifer thickness typically ranges from 100 to 150 ft, but becomes increasingly varied to the south where the sand may 

locally pinch out or thicken within short distances. Sediment samples from the Amite aquifer contain moderately well-sorted 

medium sand at the town of Amite and grade from fine to medium sand in the upper half of the aquifer to medium to coarse 

sand in the lower half near Tickfaw. The Amite aquifer ranges in depth from 1,200 ft below land surface near Kentwood to 

3,200 ft below land surface near Lacombe. The aquifer is absent locally between Hammond and Covington, and south of 

Ponchatoula (Nyman and Fayard, 1978, pl. 11). Recharge to the aquifer is principally through the shallow aquifer in southern 

Mississippi (Nyman and Fayard, 1978, p. 54). Water in the Amite aquifer is salty (greater than 250 mg/L chloride) south of a 

line through Ponchatoula and the town of Pearl River (fig. 1) (Nyman and Fayard, 1978).

The deepest freshwater-bearing aquifer in the Baton Rouge area is the “2,800-foot” sand, so named based on its depth of 

occurrence at a well in the Baton Rouge industrial district. Samples from the “2,800-foot” sand in the industrial district 

consist of coarse to medium, yellowish-gray, poorly sorted sand with small amounts of granule gravel (Meyer and Turcan, 

1955). Although the aquifer is irregular and contains clay beds locally, it appears to form a relatively continuous waterbearing formation throughout the area (Meyer and Turcan, 1955). The “2,800-foot” sand is areally extensive (Smith, 1976) 

and ranges in thickness from 190 to 350 ft (Morgan, 1963). Water in the lower part of the “2,800-foot” sand is salty (greater 

than 250 mg/L of chloride) in the industrial district, and the aquifer is entirely salty south of the Baton Rouge fault.

CONVERSION FACTORS, DATUMS, AND ABBREVIATED WATER-QUALITY UNIT

Multiply By To obtain

Length

 foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) 

 mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Flow rate

inch per year (in/yr) 25.4 millimeter per year (mm/yr)

 foot per year (ft/yr) 0.3048 meter per year (m/yr)

million gallons per day (Mgal/d) 3,785 cubic meter per day (m3

/d) 

Hydraulic gradient

foot per mile (ft/mi) 0.1894 meter per kilometer (m/km)

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) can be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows: 

°C = (°F - 32)/1.8.

Vertical coordinate information in this report is referenced to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum 

of 1929 (NGVD 29). 

Horizontal coordinate information in this report is referenced to the North American Datum of 1927.

Abbreviated water-quality unit:

milligrams per liter (mg/L)

Industrial 

District

15 KILOMETERS

0 15 MILES

0

Rigolets

The

R I V E R

M I S

S S I SI P

P I

F a ls e Ri v e r

Lake

Killarney

Old River

P

E

A

R L

R I V E R

LAKE 

PONTCHARTRAIN

TANGIPAHOA

HELENA

ST. 

WASHINGTON

ROUGE

BATON

EAST

WEST

FELICIANA

EAST

FELICIANA

ST. TAMMANY

POINTE COUPEE

LIVINGSTON

12

55

12

19

59

10

10

ROUGE

BATON

WEST

M I S S I S S I P P I

M I S S I S S I P P I

BATON ROUGE FAULT

31° 00’

91° 00’ 90° 00’

30° 15’ 30° 45’ 30° 30’

91° 45’ 91° 30’ 91° 15’ 90° 45’ 90° 30’ 90° 15’ 89° 45’

EXPLANATION

ase map modified from Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator, Office of the Governor, Louisiana GIS CD: A digital Map of the State, Version 2.0

A R K ANS A S

M I S S I S S I P P I

T E X A S

GUL F OF MEXI CO

L OU I S I A NA

INDEX MAP

ENLARGED

 AREA

20

STUDY AREA BOUNDARY

FAULT -- Shows location of fault at ground surface (displacement by some faults does not occur near

ground surface). Teeth on downthrown side. (Murray, 1961, fig. 4.33; Cardwell and others, 1967, pl. 2; 

Winner and others, 1968, fig. 1; Hanor, 1982, figs. 2, 3; McCulloh, 1991, Ia-e; Breakfield, 1995; P.V. 

Heinrich, R.P. McCulloh, and J.I. Snead, Louisiana Geological Survey, written commun., 1997; 

Griffith, 2003, pl. 1) 

POTENTIOMETRIC CONTOUR -- Shows altitude at which water level would have stood in tightly 

cased wells. Dashed where approximately located. Contour interval 20 feet. Vertical datum is NGVD 29 

BATON 

ROUGE

Port

Allen

MANDEVILLE

St. Francisville

BAKER

Denham

Springs

Clinton

Livingston

Greensburg

Amite

Franklinton

COVINGTON

PEARL RIVER

TICKFAW

BOGALUSA

HAMMOND

SLIDELL

New

Roads

Ponchatoula

Roseland

Approximate Limit of Freshwater

0

100

60

40

-20

-40

80

20

0

20

40

60

80

20

15.8

2.4

10.9

Wa-158

Wa-93

Wa-55

Wa-56

WF-274

Li-91

EB-581

EF-302

Wa-125

Ta-827

Ta-584

Ta-822

Ta-525

Ta-730

Ta-293

Ta-269

Ta-260

ST-726

ST-1138

ST-592

SH-67

SH-40

EB-832

EB-700

EB-468

PC-301

PC-321

PC-20B

PC-143

PC-119

PC-65

PC-214 

PC-257

PC-114 

EF-185

EF-254

EF-223

WF-291

Ta-259

SH-122

SH-116

SH-21

EB-1311

EB-995

EB-944

EB-830

EB-829

PC-262

PC-85

EF-259

EF-249

Wa-5926Z

WF-290

WF-235

EB-1247

EB-1186

EB-754

EB-750

EB-551

EB-730

EB-1000 EB-922

FLOW ARROW -- Shows general direction of ground-water flow 

CONTROL POINT AND NUMBER -- Black “2,800-foot” sand; brown Amite aquifer 

(see table 2 for water-level data)

WELL WITH HYDROGRAPH AND NUMBER (see fig. 3 for hydrograph)

WATER-WITHDRAWAL CENTER -- Shows withdrawals greater than 2.0 million gallons per 

day. Sites include multiple wells (B.P. Sargent, U.S. Geological Survey, written commun., 2004)

Approximate area where aquifer is thin or missing

15.8

EB-944

EB-551

B

Figure 1. Generalized potentiometric surface of the Amite aquifer and “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area in southeastern Louisiana, June–August 2006.

Series

Mississippi River

alluvial aquifer

Aquifer system or

confining unit

“800-foot” sand

“1,000-foot” sand

“1,200-foot” sand

“1,500-foot” sand

“1,700-foot” sand

“2,000-foot” sand

“2,400-foot” sand

“2,800-foot” sand

Catahoula aquifer

“600-foot” sand

“400-foot” sand

Upper Ponchatoula

aquifer

Lower Ponchatoula aquifer

Big Branch aquifer

Abita aquifer

Covington aquifer

Slidell aquifer

Tchefuncte aquifer

Hammond aquifer

Amite aquifer

Ramsay aquifer

Franklinton aquifer

Upland terrace aquifer

System

Aquifer or confining unit

?

?

Baton Rouge area1

Tertiary

Oligocene

Quaternary

Pleistocene

Pliocene

Miocene

Fleming Formation

Catahoula Formation

Lena Member

Williamson Creek

Member

Dough Hills

Member

Carnahan Bayou

Member

Castor Creek Member

Blounts Creek

Member

Stratigraphic unit

Unnamed

Pleistocene

deposits

Mississippi River and

other alluvial deposits

Catahoula equivalent

aquifer system

Unnamed confining unit

Jasper equivalent

aquifer system

Evangeline equivalent

aquifer system or

surficial confining

unit

Chicot equivalent

aquifer system

or surficial

confining unit

Unnamed confining unit

Holocene

? ?

Eastern Florida Parishes: St. 

Tammany, Tangipahoa, and 

Washington Parishes

Unnamed confining unit

Hydrogeologic unit

Southern Hills regional aquifer system2

Upland terrace

aquifer

Near-surface aquifers

or surficial confining unit

Shallow sands

Kentwood aquifer

1 . East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana Parishes.

2

 Buono, 1983.

doowtneK

refiuqa

metsys

Unnamed confining unit

Shallow sands

Figure 2. Partial stratigraphic column of hydrologic units in southeastern Louisiana (modified from Nyman and Fayard, 1978, table 2; Stuart and 

others, 1994, fig. 5; Lovelace and Lovelace, 1995, fig. 1; Griffth, 2003, fig. 3; Prakken, 2004, fig. 1).

Generalized Potentiometric Surface

A generalized potentiometric-surface map was constructed for the Amite aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand using 

water-level data from 62 wells. The most recent potentiometric-surface map constructed for these two aquifers was by Martin 

and others (1988) using water-level data collected in 1984. Water levels were measured in June–August 2006. Wells in which 

water levels were measured were not being pumped at the time of measurement. Wells with water levels below land surface 

were measured using either a steel or electric tape marked in 0.01-ft increments. Wells under flowing artesian conditions 

(water from the well is flowing at land surface) were measured using a calibrated pressure gage. Flowing artesian wells were 

located in parts of St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes (fig. 1 and table 2). Water-level data are listed in 

table 2.

A potentiometric-surface map may be used to determine direction of ground-water flow, areas of recharge and discharge, 

and the effects of withdrawals upon the ground-water system. The rate of ground-water movement also can be estimated from 

the gradient, when used with other hydrologic information (Freeze and Cherry, 1979).

Ground water moves from areas of higher hydraulic head to areas of lower hydraulic head. Arrows, drawn perpendicular 

to the equipotential lines, are shown on the potentiometric-surface map (fig. 1) and indicate the general direction of groundwater movement in the aquifers. Under pre-development conditions, regional water flow in the Amite aquifer and the 

“2,800-foot” sand was primarily southward from the upland areas in the northern part of the study area, where water levels 

were the highest, to lowland areas in the south and toward the valleys of the Mississippi and Pearl Rivers (Martin and others, 

1988).

Currently (2006), water movement in the Amite aquifer is generally toward the south and toward withdrawal centers in 

the eastern Florida Parishes. In St. Tammany Parish, ground-water movement is generally to the south; in Tangipahoa Parish, 

it is generally south-southwest toward the withdrawal center located near the town of Amite (fig. 1). In Washington Parish, 

ground-water movement is generally east-southeast toward the withdrawal center located at Bogalusa. Water movement in the 

“2,800-foot” sand in West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee Parishes is generally to the south and southeast toward withdrawal 

centers in East Baton Rouge Parish. In East Feliciana, Livingston, and St. Helena Parishes, ground-water flow is generally 

south-southwest toward withdrawal centers in East Baton Rouge Parish.

Water levels generally were highest in the northern part of the study area, declining southward and near withdrawal 

centers. In June–August 2006, measured water levels ranged from 102.35 ft above NGVD 29 in well Ta-584, located in 

north-central Tangipahoa Parish, to 49.25 ft below NGVD 29 in well EB-1247, located in northwestern East Baton Rouge 

Parish (fig. 1). Water levels were used to determine where cones of depression were located in the study area.

Cones of depression have formed near Bogalusa in Washington Parish and in the northwestern part of East Baton Rouge 

Parish because of ground-water withdrawals. In the eastern half of Washington Parish, ground water flows radially toward the 

cone of depression at the town of Bogalusa. Although large volumes of water (more than 7.0 Mgal/d) are withdrawn from the 

“2,800-foot” sand around metropolitan Baton Rouge, the pumpage is widely distributed throughout numerous sites, and the 

resulting cone of depression is widespread but relatively shallow. These cones of depression are shown in figure 1.

Table 2. Water-level data used to construct the potentiometric-surface map of

the Amite aquifer and “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area in southeastern

Louisiana, June–August 2006.

[NGVD 29, National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929]

Well

number

Altitude of

land surface,

in feet above 

NGVD 29

Date

measured

Depth to

water level, 

in feet above 

or below (-) 

1 land surface

Altitude of

water level, 

in feet above 

or below (-) 

NGVD 29

Amite aquifer

ST-592 27 8-28 49.70 76.7

ST-726 140 8-28 -48.77 91.23

ST-1138 25 6-01 -54.80 79.8

Ta-259 114 8-22 -46.71 67.29

Ta-260 131 7-24 -41.37 89.63

Ta-269 85 6-05 10.50 95.5

Ta-293 52 6-01 11.40 63.4

Ta-730 40 6-09 30.80 70.8

Ta-525 40 6-09 44.30 84.3

Ta-584 240 6-01 -137.65 102.35

Ta-822 100 8-28 -34.35 65.65

Ta-827 195 8-28 -110.79 84.21

Wa-55 95 6-08 -111.90 -16.9

Wa-56 97 6-08 -115.17 -18.17

Wa-93 100 6-08 -109.58 -9.58

Wa-125 150 7-25 -104.33 45.67

Wa-158 97 7-25 -92.54 4.46

Wa-5926Z 65 7-25 28.42 93.42

"2,800-Foot" sand of the Baton Rouge area

EB-468 73 7-06 -86.81 -13.81

EB-551 75 6-13 -87.59 -12.59

EB-581 67 6-09 -61.80 5.2

EB-700 62 6-06 -68.50 -6.5

EB-730 60 6-06 -74.01 -14.01

EB-750 60 6-13 -71.12 -11.12

EB-754 78 6-13 -91.82 -13.82

EB-829 110 6-06 -112.32 -2.32

EB-830 90 6-06 -99.42 -9.42

EB-832 87 6-06 -85.08 1.92

EB-922 66 6-06 -79.82 -13.82

EB-944 59 7-12 -65.71 -6.71

EB-995 57 6-06 -58.04 -1.04

EB-1000 68 6-09 -75.71 -7.71

EB-1186 109 6-22 -119.53 -10.53

EB-1247 97 7-19 -146.25 -49.25

EB-1311 115 6-06 -116.01 -1.01

EF-223 135 7-13 -140.35 -5.35

EF-249 180 6-19 -138.35 41.65

EF-254 252 8-29 -227.40 24.6

EF-259 240 6-19 -199.03 40.97

EF-185 228 7-13 -212.07 15.93

EF-302 272 6-19 -240.30 31.7

Li-91 44 8-08 -37.41 6.59

PC-20B 36 7-28 -24.25 11.75

PC-65 34 7-28 -31.48 2.52

PC-85 32 6-22 -10.63 21.37

PC-114 32 7-31 -19.31 12.69

PC-119 32 7-28 -22.57 9.43

PC-143 41 7-14 -16.60 24.4

PC-214 31 7-17 -17.63 13.37

PC-257 25 7-17 -12.24 12.76

PC-262 35 7-17 -25.44 9.56

PC-301 38 7-31 -20.49 17.51

PC-321 28 6-21 -20.08 7.92

SH-21 250 8-08 -186.73 63.27

SH-40 131 8-08 -67.90 63.1

SH-67 190 8-08 -119.80 70.2

SH-116 305 8-08 -237.69 67.31

SH-122 196 8-08 -117.53 78.47

WF-235 162 6-20 -165.92 -3.92

WF-274 220 7-13 -219.52 .48

WF-290 188 6-16 -190.09 -2.09

WF-291 250 6-16 -218.04 31.96

1A positive depth below land surface indicates water level is above land surface.

Water-Level Trends

Long-term water-level declines in the Amite aquifer and the “2,800-foot” sand have occurred in response to water 

withdrawals in the study area. Hydrographs illustrating water-level trends in the two aquifers are shown in figures 3A–3F. 

The largest water-level declines occurred at wells in Bogalusa (Washington Parish) and the northwestern part of East Baton 

Rouge Parish. Large amounts of water were withdrawn for industrial use in these two parishes (almost 10 Mgal/d in Washington Parish and more than 18 Mgal/d in East Baton Rouge Parish) (table 1). Water levels at well Wa-158, screened in the 

Amite aquifer and located near the withdrawal center in Bogalusa, declined about 1.5 ft/yr during the period 1986 to 2006 

(fig. 3A). Water levels at well EB-1000, screened in the “2,800-foot” sand and located near the Baton Rouge industrial 

district, about 9 mi southeast of the withdrawal center, declined about 1.5 ft/yr during the period 1986 to 2006 (fig. 3B).

Water levels in the Amite aquifer, in wells in outlying areas of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parishes, declined less than 

1 ft/yr during the period 1986 to 2006, as shown in the hydrograph of well Ta-260 (fig. 3C). This well is located in westcentral Tangipahoa Parish, at Roseland, about 2.5 mi north of the town of Amite (fig. 1).

For the period 1986 to 2006, water levels from wells EB-944 (fig. 3D) screened in the “2,800-foot” sand and located 

about 13 mi south and east of the withdrawal center in the northwestern part of East Baton Rouge Parish (fig. 1), declined 

about 1.5 ft/yr. The water levels in well EB-581, located in the far east-central part of the parish more than 18 mi from the 

withdrawal center, declined about 1.4 ft/yr (fig. 3E).

Water levels in the “2,800-foot” sand in wells in outlying areas of Pointe Coupee Parish declined less than 1 ft/yr over 

the past 20 years. In northern Pointe Coupee Parish, water levels declined about 0.6 ft/yr and appear to fluctuate seasonally as 

shown in the hydrograph of well PC-143 (fig. 3F). This well is located about 26 mi northwest of the withdrawal center 

located in the northwestern part of East Baton Rouge Parish.

WATER LEVEL, IN FEET BELOW LAND-SURFACE DATUM

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

130

A

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

B

1987

1989

20

25

30

35

40

45

C

Well: Wa-158

Well: EB-1000

Well: Ta-260

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

January 1

YEAR

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

D

E

F

January 1

YEAR

WATER LEVEL, IN FEET BELOW LAND-SURFACE DATUM

Well: EB-944

Well: EB-581

Well: PC-143

Figure 3. Water levels in selected wells screened in the Amite aquifer and “2,800-foot” sand of the Baton Rouge area in southeastern Louisiana.

Selected References

Breakfield, Steve, 1995, Office of Mineral Resources report on Lake Pontchartrain: Baton Rouge, La., Louisiana Department 

of Natural Resources Memorandum, 15 p.

Buono, Anthony, 1983, The Southern Hills regional aquifer system of southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi: 

U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 83–4189, 38 p.

Cardwell, G.T., Forbes, M.J., Jr., and Gaydos, M.W., 1967, Water resources of the Lake Pontchartrain area, Louisiana: 

Department of Conservation, Louisiana Geological Survey, and Louisiana Department of Public Works Water Resources 

Bulletin no. 12, 105 p.

Case, H.L., III, 1979, Ground-water resources of Washington Parish, Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Transportation and 

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U.S. Geological Survey — Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Water Resources Cooperative Program 

D O T D

APED TR MENT

OF TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT

LOUISIANA GROUND-WATER MAP NO. 22: 

GENERALIZED POTENTIOMETRIC SURFACE OF THE AMITE AQUIFER AND THE “2,800-FOOT” SAND 

OF THE BATON ROUGE AREA IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA, JUNE–AUGUST 2006

By

Robert B. Fendick, Jr.

2007

For additional information, contact:

Director, U.S. Geological Survey

Louisiana Water Science Center

3535 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd., Suite 120

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816

E-mail: dc_la@usgs.gov

Fax: (225) 298-5490

Telephone: (225) 298-5481

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

Copies of this report can be purchased from:

U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services

Box 25286, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

E-mail: infoservices@usgs.gov

Fax: (303) 202-4188

Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS

Home Page: http://www.usgs.gov

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