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Home Septic System Inspections and Education Help Reduce Bacteria
in the Comite River
Waterbody Improved
Bacteria from improperly maintained septic systems led to a fecal
coliform bacteria impairment in the Comite River (subsegment
040103). The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) added the waterbody to the
state's 2012 Clean Water Act (CWA) Integrated Report as not supporting its secondary contact
recreation (SCR) designated use because of high bacteria levels. Beginning in 2012, LDEQ contracted
with Capital Resource Conservation and Development Council (CRC&D) to implement a series of
initiatives such as home septic system inspections, education, and water quality monitoring in the
Comite River subsegment. Recent data indicate that the river no longer exceeds the fecal coliform
standard for SCR; as a result, LDEQ removed the waterbody's SCR bacteria impairment listing from
the state's 2022 CWA section 305(b) water quality assessment (in Appendix A of the LDEQ Integrated
Report of Water Quality in Louisiana).
Problem
The Comite River watershed (subsegment 040103
- From White Bayou to Amite River) drains approxi-
mately 48,920 acres. Primary iand cover in the water-
shed is wetlands, open space, low-intensity developed
land, and grass/pasture (Figure 1). Rural areas in
Louisiana often depend on on-site sewage disposal
systems (OSDS) in the absence of municipal or other
public wastewater treatment systems. Improperly
maintained OSDS caused high bacteria loadings to the
Comite River. For SCR to be supported, no more than
25 percent of the fecal coiiform samples collected on
a monthly or near-monthly basis may exceed a fecal
coliform density of 2,000 colonies (col)/100 milliliters
(mL) year-round.
Between October 2017 and September 2018, five of
12 samples (42 percent) exceeded 2,000 col/100 ml.
Based on these data, LDEQ indicated subsegment
040103 in the 2020 Integrated Report as not supporting
the designated use SCR due to fecal coliform bacteria.
The 2020 Integrated Report showed the suspected
source of the bacteria impairment in the river as
on-site treatment systems (septic systems and similar
decentralized systems) and sanitary sewer overflows
(collection system failures). Problems from OSDS
include poor installation and/or maintenance.
Comite River Subsegment 040103
2018 CDL Generalized Land Cover
DEft
X
Miles
LDEQ Map No.202206011
Grass/Pasture
Forest
Wetlands
Developed
Water
Figure 1. I he Comite River subsegment 040103
watershed is in southeastern Louisiana.
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Story Highlights
Results
LDEQ has contracted with CRC&D to support a water-
shed coordinator (WSC) staff position since 2008. The
WSC's job is to faciiitate and conduct watershed use
support restoration activities in southeast Louisiana,
with a goal of reducing nonpoint source pollution
to ultimately improve surface water quality, restore
designated use support, and maintain healthy waters.
CRC&D staff identified and helped repair some
malfunctioning home systems, thus reducing bacteria
and restoring the use support In the Comlte River.
From 2012 through 2020, work occurred in the
Comite River watershed to inspect home septic
systems, educate homeowners, and monitor water
quality. CRC&D inspected 1,542 systems and found
that 567 were not functioning properly. CRC&D
identified and assisted in the repair of 339 of these
567 systems.
Water quality data show improvements as a result of
OSDS repairs. From October 2019 to September 2020,
only one fecai coilform sample out of 12 exceeded
2,000 col/100 fill (i.e., an 8 percent annual exceed--
ance rate). These data Indicated that the Comite River
supports its SCR designated use (Figure 2). Based on
these data, LDEQ removed SCR as a bacteria-impaired
designated use for subsegment 040103 in 2022.
Partners and Funding
Partners responsible for making this project a success
include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
LDEQ, and CRC&D. From October 2012 to September
2020, LDEQ used $432,076 in CWA section 319 funds
and $288,470 in matching funds to contract with
CRC&D to fund a WSC, septic system inspections, and
water quality monitoring.
FC concentrations
6000
SCR criterion
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Figure 2. Fecal coliform (FC) bacteria concentrations have declined in the Comite River.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-22-001DD
December 2022
For additional information contact:
John Sheehan
LDEQ
225-219-0879
John.Sheehan@LA.gov
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