Section 319
NDNPDINT SOUHE PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
Fixing On-site Sewage Systems Restores Popular New Orleans Area Rivers
\A/citp hnrl I n n prl High bacteria counts in the Tchefuncte River and its tributary,
1 " '* ' r ' " """"" the Bogue Falaya River, prompted the Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ) to add a segment of each waterbody to Louisiana's 1992 Clean
Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters. LDEQ and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation (LPBF) formed partnerships with St. Tammany Parish and surrounding communities
to implement education and corrective programs. Bacteria counts decreased, and LDEQ removed
both segments from the 2008 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters for fecal coliform.
Problem
The 29-mile-long Bogue Falaya River flows into the
34-mile-long Tchefuncte River, one of the largest
contributing rivers of the Lake Pontchartrain basin in
southeast Louisiana (Figure 1). Together, the rivers
drain a 192.26-square-mile watershed that drains
both upland pine savannahs and large wetland
(bottomland hardwood forest) floodplains. The
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries lists
the Tchefuncte and Bogue Falaya rivers as scenic
streams, and the LDEQ lists them as Outstanding
Natural Resource waterways.
Significant urban growth and out-migration from
greater New Orleans is rapidly converting the area
from rural to residential and business land use.
Primary land cover includes evergreen forest cov-
ers (44.1 percent), pasture and hay (22.5 percent),
deciduous forest cover (19.7 percent) and urban/
developed area (4.4 percent). Because much of the
growth has been outside the area that is connected
to community sewer systems, individual home sep-
tic systems and small package wastewater systems
have become a major source of bacterial pollution
in the parish. Other sources, including inflow and
infiltration of municipal systems, small community
wastewater package plants, urban stormwater
runoff, and occasional horse farms and pastureland
runoff contribute as well.
The cumulative effect of those sources led fecal
coliform bacteria counts in the rivers to regularly far
exceed the state's water quality standard for primary
contact recreation. That standard requires that fecal
coliform counts be less than 200 most probable num-
ber (MPN)/100 milliliters (ml) of water. Data collected
in the early 1990s show that the bacteria counts
were greater than 10,000 MPN/100 ml, causing the
Figure 1. Andrea Bourgeois-Calvin collects a water
sample on the Bogue Falaya River.
rivers to be placed under swimming advisories and
ultimately listed on Louisiana's CWA section 303(d)
list of impaired waters for fecal coliform bacteria in
1992.
Project Highlights
In response to the high bacteria counts on the
Tchefuncte river system, the LPBF and St. Tammany
Parish began their Sub-Basin Pollution Source
Tracking Program in 2002 to identify and correct
pollution sources in watersheds through intensive
water quality monitoring, inspecting/upgrading
home septic systems, educating the public, and
cooperating with local and state agencies. The LPBF
implemented the tracking program in the Bogue
Falaya River watershed in 2002 and then expanded it
to include the larger Tchefuncte/Bogue Falaya water-
shed in 2003. Intensive water sampling and source
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tracking occurred through 2004, and monitoring and
tracking activities continue to the present.
LPBF then partnered with LDEQ's Small Business
Assistance Program to document how to operate
and maintain small package waste treatment sys-
tems and to provide free assistance for the owners/
operators (Figure 2). The focused effort included
direct contact and one-on-one educational outreach
with area residents, small-business operators and
community groups.
Figure 2. Andrea
Bourgeois-Calvin
(left) and Ronny
Carter, LPBF
Wastewater
Specialist, help
an owner of an
on-site sewage
treatment system.
St. Tammany Parish entered into a cooperative
agreement with LDEQ to inspect many of the
estimated 35,000 on-site sewage disposal systems
using CWA section 319 funds. In addition, the
parish used CWA section 319 funds to hire two
supplementary environmental inspectors and to
implement a parish-wide educational program on
septic system maintenance and repair. The parish
took further action, passing an ordinance requiring
that on-site sewage disposal systems be inspected
before a residential certificate of occupancy could
be awarded and electrical power connections
activated. The parish worked with the LPBF to
develop television advertisements, press releases,
educational pamphlets and newspaper articles on
the home septic system project.
Results
By actively addressing the failing home septic
systems and small package wastewater treatment
system sources, local stakeholders have signifi-
cantly reduced fecal coliform sources. Bacteria
counts in the rivers have declined significantly and
now meet standards for primary contact recreation
limits. As a result, LDEQ removed the Bogue Falaya
and the Tchefuncte rivers from the 2008 CWA sec-
tion 303(d) list of impaired waters for fecal coliform.
LDEQ, LPBF, St. Tammany Parish and the Louisiana
Department of Health and Hospitals offer educa-
tional seminars for businesses operating individual,
small package wastewater treatment systems.
LPBF has initiated work on a Watershed Protection
Plan in conjunction with and funded by LDEQ to
prioritize future best management practice imple-
mentation in the Tchefuncte River watershed.
Partners and Funding
St. Tammany Parish and LDEQ used section 319
funds from 2002 to 2006 as part of the parish's
cooperative agreement to implement the home
sewage inspection program. Approximately
$354,073 in federal funds also supported this
program, with the parish providing $181,983 in
matching funds for a total project cost of $545,859.
The parish entered into a second cooperative
agreement for a watershed coordinator, which
used $84,800 in CWA section 319 funds and
$57,500 in matching parish funds (total project
cost of $142,300). St. Tammany Parish also imple-
mented a comprehensive watershed project for the
Tchefuncte and Bogue Falaya rivers, which used
$663,000 in CWA section 319 funds and $442,000
in matching parish funds (total project cost of
$1,105,000).
LPBF secured financial support from multiple
sources including CWA section 319 funding through
LDEQ and funding from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program. LPBF
convened the St. Tammany Task Force in 2002. This
group meets monthly to discuss environmental
issues and implement programs in St. Tammany
Parish. Members of the task force include
LDEQ; St. Tammany Parish's Environmental and
Engineering Departments; Louisiana Department
of Health and Hospitals; Louisiana Sea Grant;
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center;
Natural Resource Conservation Service; the cities
of Convington, Mandeville and Slidell; and other
state, parish and local entities.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-09-001S
August 2009
For additional information contact:
Andrea Bourgeois-Calvin, Ph.D.
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
504-836-2235 • andrea@saveourlake.org
Jan Boydstun
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
225-219-3606* Jan.boydstun@la.gov
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