2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants:
Tangipahoa River
Louisiana and Mississippi
WHY IS THIS WATERSHED SPECIAL?
The Tangipahpoa River is located in eastern Louisiana, along the northern edge of Lake
Pontchartrain. The watershed covers 520 square miles and is characterized by pine and mixed
hardwood forests, bottomland hardwood forests, swamps and freshwater and brackish water
marshes. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has designated the middle and
upper reaches of the river as a scenic stream.
ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
Historically, the river was popular for recreation. However, pollution levels in the river became a
public concern in the 1980s when a group of girl scouts became ill while swimming. The
Tangipahoa River is on the 2004 Impaired Waterbodies 303(d) list due to high fecal coliform
levels.
High fecal coliform levels are a result of discharges from dairy farms and wastewater
treatment plants (WWTPs).
Small individual wastewater treatment plants often function improperly and release fecal
bacteria into the watershed.
RESTORATION ACTIVITIES
The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) will use the
Targeted Watersheds Grant funds to implement the Tangipahoa
River Water Quality Improvement Project. Actions include:
Helping small WWTPs come into compliance through
education and technical assistance.
Assisting municipal WWTPs in implementing a flow-proportional
disinfection program to reduce fecal loading to the watershed.
Airing a public service announcement on local television to
educate the public on the impacts of home wastewater.
Reaching out to local dairy farmers to promote best management
practices and the lagoon cleanout program.
Assisting dairies in obtaining the proper permits and providing
assistance with closing dairy lagoons.
Bi-weekly monitoring of the water for E. coli and nutrients and long-
term modeling of the water quality to measure impacts of
the program.
Water Quality sampling in the -watershed.
LPBF is -working -with the Natural Resource
Conservation Service to implement best
management practices on dairy farms.
EPA840-F-07-001J
www.epa.gov/twg
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A STRONG PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE
The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation has worked to
build a strong coalition known as the Tangipahoa River Task
Force. Members include:
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Louisiana State University's Agricultural Extension
Program
Tangipahoa Parish and several municipalities
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service
Tangipahoa Futures Network
Citizens for a Clean Tangipahoa
Hammond Daily Star and WWL-TV
EPA's Targeted Watersheds
Grants
EPA's Targeted Watersheds Grants program is
a competitive grant program designed to
encourage collaborative, community-driven
approaches to meet clean water goals.
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For More Information
Contact:
Andrea B. Calvin
Program Coordinator
Lake Pontchartrain Basin
Foundation
andrea@saveourlake.org
(504)836-2235
www.saveourlake.org
Funding: $854,242
Since Hurricane Katrina, development has flourished in the Tangipahoa Watershed, impacting
water quality. LPBF is -working -with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to
mitigate the damages.
2005 Targeted Watersheds Grants - Tangipahoa River
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