The Southern Hills aquifer system is a valuable source of accessible, high-quality water in Louisiana. In 2015, over 209 million gallons per day of groundwater were withdrawn within the 5-parish Baton Rouge capital area including East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, and Pointe Coupee parishes. Groundwater is currently the sole source for public supply and supports a range of industrial activity. Groundwater withdrawals since the 1940s have lowered water levels, altered groundwater-flow directions, and have caused saltwater to intrude into some freshwater-containing sands of the Southern Hills aquifer system beneath Baton Rouge. In cooperation with the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission, [...]
Summary
The Southern Hills aquifer system is a valuable source of accessible, high-quality water in Louisiana. In 2015, over 209 million gallons per day of groundwater were withdrawn within the 5-parish Baton Rouge capital area including East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, and Pointe Coupee parishes. Groundwater is currently the sole source for public supply and supports a range of industrial activity. Groundwater withdrawals since the 1940s have lowered water levels, altered groundwater-flow directions, and have caused saltwater to intrude into some freshwater-containing sands of the Southern Hills aquifer system beneath Baton Rouge.
In cooperation with the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, and the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts interpretive studies, including the development of numerical groundwater flow and solute transport models. Additionally, the USGS monitors water levels, chloride concentrations, and subsidence through a network of wells and extensometers. The goal of this work is to better understand the current state of the Southern Hills aquifer system, and how the quality and availability of groundwater has changed over time and how it may change in the future. The USGS provides this information to decision makers, regulatory agencies, local stakeholders, and the public to facilitate sustainable use of groundwater resources in the Baton Rouge area.
