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Inspection and Repair of Septic Systems Improve Bayou Sara
Waterbody Improved Sewage leakin8 from improperly managed septic systems led
to a fecal coliform bacteria impairment in Bayou Sara, The
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) added the water body to the state's 2014
Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list for not supporting its primary contact recreation (PGR)
designated use because of the high bacteria levels. Partners implemented a series of initiatives
to restore this designated use, including home septic and facility inspections, and education and
outreach. Recent data indicate that the river no longer exceeds the fecal coliform standard for PGR;
as a result, LDEQ removed the waterbody's PGR impairment listing from the state's draft 2018 CWA
section 303(d) list.
Problem
Bayou Sara (waterbody ID LA070501_00) is
approximately 31 miles long. The watershed is in
West Feliciana Parish and includes the town of St.
Francisville. The primary iand cover in the watershed
is deciduous forest and shrubland (Figure 1). Homes
within this watershed contain improperly managed
septic systems that caused high bacteria loadings to
Bayou Sara.
Louisiana's water quality standard for PCR requires
that no more than 25 percent of the fecal coliform
samples collected on a monthly or near-monthly basis
from May 1 to October 31 may exceed a fecal coliform
density of 400 colonies per 100 milliliters of water
(col/100 mL). During the 2012-2013 sampling year,
two out of six events (33 percent) at Ambient Water
Quality Monitoring Network (AWQMN) site 1108
exceeded the criterion of 400 col/100 mL. On the basis
of these data, LDEQ added Bayou Sara to its 2014 CWA
section 303(d) list for not fully supporting the water
quality standard for PCR due to fecal coliform bacteria.
The CWA section 305(b) list identified sanitary sewer
overflows (collection system failures) as the suspected
cause of bacteria pollution.
Story Highlights
From 2016 through 2018, LDEQ's Nonpoint Source
Unit funded a watershed coordinator position at the
Capital Resource Conservation & Development Council
(CRC&D) to facilitate and conduct watershed restora-
tion activities in southeast Louisiana. The goal was
Figure 1. Bayou Sara (Subsegment 07051) land cover.
to reduce nonpoint pollution sources to ultimately
improve surface water quality, restore designated use
support and maintain heaithy waters.
Bayou Sara Land Use
LDEQ Basin-Subsegment 070501
. 070501
Barren
Developed
Forest
Grass/Pasture
C y Herbaceous Wetland
1 . Open Water
Row Crop
Shrubland
Woody Wetlands

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Fecal Coliform

1000

900

800

700


E
600
o

o
H
500
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o
400
u


300

200

100
1/1/2012 1/1/2013 1/1/2014 1/1/2015 1/1/2016 1/1/2017
Note: vertical axis truncated for perspective
Figure 2. Fecal coliform data show improvement
between 2012 and 2017.
CRC&D worked closely with the West Feliciana Parish
Department of Health and Hospitals (WFPDHH) to
conduct individual home sewage inspections. CRC&D
personnel inspected 230 individual home wastewater
systems in the Bayou Sara watershed; repairs were
made as needed.
LDEQsurveillance personnel also performed a sweep
of potential point sources of bacteria in Bayou Sara
watershed in 2016 and 2017. They inspected 47 loca-
tions to ensure compliance with respect to pollutant
discharge; corrective action was taken as needed.
Results
Water quality data showed improvement as a result of
inspections and repairs. Fecal coliform data from the
2016-2017 sampling year showed that only one out
of six: events exceeded the criterion (a 16.7 percent
exceedance rate) at AWQMN site 1108 from May 1
to October 31, which is below the 25 percent exceed-
ance rate limit noted in the water quality standard
(Figure 2). On the basis of these data, in the 2018 CWA
section 305(b) report LDEQ indicated that Bayou Sara
is fully supporting Its PCR designated use and is no
longer listed as impaired for bacteria (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Bayou Sara now fully supports its PCR
designated use.
Partners and Funding
Partners in this work included the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, LDEQ, CRC&D, and WFPDHH. LDEQ
contracted with CRC&D from 2016 to 2018 to fund a
watershed coordinator and to conduct septic system
inspections; $50,330.00 in CWA section 319(h) funds
and $21,010.00 in CRC&D match were expended for
inspections in Bayou Sara.
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©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-18-Q01TT
December 2018
For additional information contact:
John Sheehan
Lousiana Department of Environmental Quality
225-219-0879 • john.sheehan@la.gov

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