Because two-thirds of the population of Louisiana depends on ground water, it is important to take steps to protect this valuable resource. Since ground water is easier to contaminate than it is to cleanup, an ounce of prevention is worth far more than a pound of cure. The Wellhead Protection Program helps communities protect the quality of their water supply. The improper management of these potential sources can lead to ground water contamination. Aquifers are saturated with water that seeps into the ground in the area where the aquifer is close to the earth's surface.
Contamination can migrate into the aquifers from poorly managed sources of pollution.
Contamination can move through the aquifer and eventually reach a water well that supplies drinking water to a community. When this happens, the water may no longer be suitable for consumption and the well sometimes has to be abandoned and replaced, costing up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. DEQ establishes a vulnerability ranking for public water supplies that takes into consideration the population served, whether the aquifer is protected by natural overlying clay layers, and the depth of the water wells. Presentations are made to communities in the order established by the vulnerability ranking, meeting with the most vulnerable first. The Program is presented to local government officials and the public.