What is a Watershed?

A watershed, also called a drainage basin, is the area in which all water, sediments, and dissolved materials flow or drain from the land into a common river, lake, ocean, or other body of water.  top

Why are Watersheds Important?

Watersheds are the link between land and water resources.  A watershed approach to conservation and development of  resources addresses, not only water resources, but also the surrounding land from which the water drains. 
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What is Watershed Management?

Watershed management is a program to conserve and develop local natural resources.   It is most effective when coordinating  with other resource management programs, including other surface and ground-water protection programs, flood control, water supply, protection of fish and wildlife, recreation, control of stormwater, and nonpoint source pollution, and economic development.

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CLAIBORNE PARISH’S WATERSHEDS (Claiborne Watersheds and Its Protection Poster)

Claiborne Parish is part of Three Watersheds (figure at top right of this page):
 

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SURF YOUR WATERSHED (Claiborne Parish)

Water Quality Reports for D'Arbonne Tributaries: Summary
In accordance with Section 106 of the federal Clean Water Act and under the authority of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, the LDEQ has established a comprehensive program for monitoring the quality of the state’s surface waters. The objectives are to determine the quality of the state’s surface waters, to develop a long-term data base for water quality trend analysis, and to monitor the effectiveness of pollution controls. The data obtained through the surface water monitoring program is used to develop the state’s biennial 305(b) report (Water Quality Inventory) and the 303(d) list of impaired waters. This information is also utilized in establishing priorities for the LDEQ nonpoint source program.

LDEQ has implemented a watershed approach to surface water quality monitoring. Through this approach, the entire state is sampled over a five-year cycle with two targeted basins sampled each year. This report presents the results of a watershed based, calibrated modeling analysis of the tributaries to Bayou D’Arbonne Lake. As the monitoring results are evaluated at the end of each year, waterbodies may be added to or removed from the 303(d) list. The calibration models’ input data sources were July 2001 intensive survey data and data collected elsewhere by LDEQ, USGS, municipal discharge records, and other sources.  The Louisiana Total Maximum Daily Load Technical Procedures, 05/22/2001, have been followed in this study.

Modeling was limited to low flow scenarios for both the calibration and the projections since the constituent of concern was dissolved oxygen and the available data was limited to low flow.

Both LDEQ's 1998 303(d) list and EPA’s 2000 Modified Court Ordered 303(d) list cited the three tributaries to Bayou D’Arbonne Lake (subsegments 080603, 080609, and 080610) as being impaired. The suspected cause was organic enrichment/low DO and the suspected sources were "natural sources" and "unknown source". These three subsegments were subsequently scheduled for TMDL development with other listed waters in the Ouachita River basin. This TMDL addresses the organic enrichment/low DO impairment.

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Surface Water Pollutants in order of frequency of occurrence statewide:

1 "Metals" --  (mercury, cadmium, lead, copper--mostly mercury in the Atchafalaya area)

2 "Pathogens" -- test indicator is actually fecal coliforms, which are not normally harmful by themselves, but are used as an indicator of the potential for harmful pathogenic organisms.

3 "Organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen (DO)" -- the third largest suspected cause of impairment, responsible for 2,744 miles of stream impairment. 

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Suspected sources of impairments in order of frequency of occurrence statewide:

Lakes: 
1 "Unknown sources" -- largely related to metals, sulfate and chloride problems

2 "Natural sources" -- largely related to low DO, sulfates, and chlorides

3 "Agriculture" -- grazing, animal feeding operations, manure lagoons, septic tanks, septage disposal, marinas, and waterfowl

4 "Municipal point source" -- especially related to pathogens
 - with "other related to pathogens" -- package plants, inflow and infiltration, wastewater lagoons,

5 "septic tanks" -- especially related to pathogens


Rivers: Suspected sources of impairment in order of frequency of occurrence statewide:
1 "unknown sources and atmospheric deposition";

2 Municipal point sources (725 square miles);

3 septic tanks 

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http://www.uswaternews.com/archives/arcsupply/tusgsay3.html

USGS SAYS WATER SUPPLY WILL BE ONE OF CHALLENGES IN COMING CENTURY

March 2000   U.S. Water News Online RESTON, Va.  (Summarized)

 "The United States and the world face significant challenges in the years to come," said Charles Groat, director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Over the past century, humans have:

-reshaped rivers and coastlines

-brought new species of plants and animals to places they could never have reached on their own

-increased our vulnerability to the extreme events that are part of Earth's natural processes -- earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, landslides, droughts, and hurricanes."

As the global population … grows, people will place greater demands on the resources of our planet, including mineral and energy resources, open space, water, and plant and animal resources. As a result, …USGS scientists see many scientific challenges for the next century:

-Increasing urbanization is introducing changes that require increased awareness that drinking water supplies are whole systems that include source-water areas, groundwater wells and surface water intakes, treatment plants and distribution systems. Safe, clean water will require strategies that go beyond water treatment to protection of water sources. USGS scientists are helping communities protect their drinking water sources by designing computer models and other tools and conducting research to help communities identify, manage, and protect source water areas.

 -There is continual development and production of new chemical compounds to improve food quality, human health, and our daily lives.  Those compounds are finding their way into the nation’s water resources.  USGS is working in partnership with health and environmental science agencies to study and address the impact that

--Study of the close relationship between human activities and the environment has made it clear that the chemical compounds we use can find their way into the nation's water resources.

--Preliminary results from a USGS study indicate that many compounds commonly used in everyday life are turning up at very low concentrations in streams across the country. 

--Examples of some of the compounds found to date include acetaminophen, caffeine, codeine, cotinine (a nicotine metabolite), 17b-estradiol (a hormone), and sulfamethoxazole (an antibiotic). For many of these compounds, the USGS study will.

The impacts of these chemicals on humans or aquatic life, at the low concentrations they are found in the environment, are generally unknown, but what is known:

-Eutrophication of water is increasing (the presence of excess amounts of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus that cause increased growth of aquatic plants, which consume the dissolved oxygen in water needed by other aquatic life), while growth of the human population will increase the demand for food. This will in turn lead to further increases in the use of fertilizers, which could put even more stress on coastal areas, as well as freshwater bodies.   USGS scientists are measuring the transport of nitrogen and phosphorus to coastal areas by major rivers to determine how much of the nutrients that enter the streams actually move downstream and how much is lost or transformed to harmless forms.

 -The 30 to 70 years old objectives for nation's water infrastructure (dams, levees, navigation systems and diversions for water) emphasized water for agriculture, electric power, navigation, flood prevention, water for cities and industry and dilution of wastes.  Values and laws under which these systems operate today have a number of added objectives: enhancement of aquatic and streamside or riparian habitat, recreational opportunities and a general desire for preservation of natural environments for future generations.   These are challenges that will require scientists to collaborate with water managers to predict how changes in the management of our water infrastructure will affect its traditional goals and serve the newer environmental goals. USGS scientists are looking at the physical and biological results of modifying or removing these systems.

  -Coastal waters -- pristine or polluted?   The earth's seemingly boundless oceans and scenic coastlines have limits. The oceans cannot provide unlimited fish to feed growing populations, nor can they absorb unlimited wastes from human activity. As population growth near and adjacent to the coasts increases water quality and ecosystems are impacted and vulnerable shorelines are eroded. Algal blooms, oxygen deficient zones and Pfiesteria are some of the negative impacts resulting from excess nutrients that end up in coastal waters.  Even after discharge waters are cleaned up, previously deposited contaminated sediments on the sea floor can be "churned up" by storm waves and continue to negatively impact the offshore ecosystems. USGS scientists are locating, characterizing and quantifying how these sediments and associated contaminants are distributed.

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Contact:

Claiborne Parish Watershed District Commission

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 266, Homer, LA 71040

Physical Address: 507 W. Main, Homer, LA 71040 (Police Jury Office Complex, Courthouse Square, Homer)

Hours: Phone Calls are answered M-F 7:30am-4:30pm Call to request a visit with a member of the commission.

Phone: (318) 927-5161

Email: cpwatershed@yahoo.com

Clerk: Jo Anne Horner

HEALTH OF CLAIBORNE WATERSHEDS

D'Arbonne Watershed

Loggy Watershed

Black Lake Watershed



Watersheds with More Serious Water Quality Problems --Watersheds with aquatic conditions well below State or Tribal water quality goals that have serious problems exposed by other indicators. 
Watersheds with Lower Vulnerability to Stressors -- Watersheds where data suggest pollutants or other stressors are low, and, therefore there exists a lower potential for future declines in aquatic health. Actions to prevent declines in aquatic conditions in these watersheds are appropriate but at a lower priority than in watersheds with higher vulnerability.

CRITERIA
0. National Watershed Characterization (Data Layer 0) 
1. Assessed Rivers Meeting All Designated Uses Set In State/Tribal Water Quality Standards 1996/1998 Using Latest State Information Reported
2. Fish and Wildlife Consumption Advisories 1997
3. Indicators of Source Water Condition for Drinking Water Systems 1990-1997
3a. River and Lakes Supporting Drinking Water Uses 1994/1996 3b. Surrogates of Source Water Condition 1991-1996 3c. Occurence of Chemicals in Surface and Ground Waters that are Regulated in Drinking Water 1990-1997
4. Contaminated Sediments 1980-1993
5. Ambient Water Quality Data - Four Toxic Pollutants 1990-1997
6. Ambient Water Quality Data - Four Conventional Pollutants 1990-1997 
7. Wetland Loss Index 1982-1992; 1780-1980
 7a. Wetland Loss Measured by National Wetlands Iinventory 1982-1992 7b. Wetland Loss Measured by National Wetlands Inventory 1780-1980s
8. Aquatic/Wetland Species at Risk 1996 
9. Pollutant Loads Discharged Above Permitted Limits - Toxic Pollutants 1996, 1997 
10. Pollutant Loads Discharged Above Permitted Limits - Conventional Pollutants 1996, 1997 
11. Urban Runoff Potential 1990
12. Index of Agricultural Runoff Potential (Based Upon Nitrogen, Sediment and Pesticide)(1990- 1995)
12a. Potential Pesticide Runoff from Farm Fields
12b. Potential Nitrogen Runoff from Farm Fields 1990-1995
12c. Sediment Delivery to Rivers and Streams from Cropland and Pastureland 1990-1995
13. Population Change 1980-1990
14. Hydrologic Modification Caused by Dams, 1995-1996 
15. Estuarine Pollution Susceptibility Index Based Upon Pollution Loads and Pollution Retention Characteristics of Estuaries, 1989-1991