Continued heavy pumping in Acadia, Calcasieu, and Jeff Davis parishes will likely pull the intrusion further north. Such pumping may result from permits that have granted power plants in the area the right to use ground water in producing electricity. A plant planned for Eunice would use 5.5 percent of the water pumped in the area, but would, according to projections, lower water level less than 2 feet within a mile of the plant. The growing of rice in East Carroll Parish is another high agricultural use of water. The production of berries and vegetables in Tangipahoa and St. James parishes requires irrigation and the use of relatively large amounts of water.
Several cities are high users of water for industrial purposes.
These include New Orleans, well in the lead, followed by Baton rouge, Lake Charles, and Monroe. While most of the industrial use relies on surface water, ground water usage seems to be increasing. Industrial water use has the potential of seriously affecting the problems of maintaining and upgrading water quality by contributing to pollution through the discharge of chemical waste. This has caused problems in areas such as the Calcasieu River and its associated lakes and estuary. There is little or no drinkable available in the southeastern part of the state east of a line connecting Morgan City with Donaldsonville, in an east-west belt from La Salle Parish over into Sabine Parish, and in central Caddo and western Red River parishes.