2009 MMiissssiissssiippppii RRiivveerr DDeellttaa BBaassiinn Characterization Report Louisiana State Reservoir Priority and Development Program BASIN CHARACTERIZATION REPORT FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA BASIN The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is responsible for reviewing and prioritizing proposed reservoir projects for which State of Louisiana (State) funding is being sought, and then recommending projects to the State Legislature. To support reservoir project review, prioritization, and recommendation efforts, DOTD has prepared characterization reports of water resources conditions in each of the nine principal surface water Report Topics Page basins in the State. These characterization reports provide an overview of water uses, Basin Overview ...................................2 needs, and concerns, and can be used by applicants for State funding, and by State Land Use and Legal Entities ...................4 agencies as they evaluate the applications. The basin characterization reports also Physiographic and Climatic contain extensive references that interested parties can use to find more information Information ........................................5 from Federal, State, and local agencies or other sources. The reports represent a Water Use .........................................6 “snapshot” of conditions in early 2009 (or when the references cited in the reports Surface Water ....................................9 were published). Groundwater ....................................13 Flooding ..........................................16 Based on available data, this basin characterization report provides an overview of the Environmental and Cultural Issues .........16 water uses, needs, and key water resources concerns for the Mississippi River Delta Recreation, Navigation, and Basin (MDB) (Map 1). Additional technical information on important issues may be Hydropower ................................................19 provided in separate technical reports. Interbasin and Interstate Issues ............20 Summary of Water Resources Needs .....20 Abbreviations and References ..............22 Red Bayou River ARKANSAS Macon Ouachita River Legend *# Major Cities %&'# Interstate B ± Bayou a y D Arbonne o Major Streams u Lake D o r c River Basins h e a t ATCHAFALAYA- TECHE-VERMILION Shreveport *# ¨¦§20 CALCASIEU-MERMENTAU Lake r LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN- LAKE MAUREPAS Bistineau ve Ri f n eu o S o c MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA a Wallace B a bi n Lake M R e iv O e u u OUACHITA RIVER r a o y c r R h a e i e d ta B v i PEARL RIVER R R R i i v v s e e r r a s Saline n RED RIVER D e Lake ug T Clear de SABINE RIVER R mo Lake iv n r e a e r v i R TENSAS RIVER i p p i s s i s s i Toledo ¨¦§49 M 010 20 40 60 80 Bend Reservoir Miles Catahoula Lake MISSISSIPPI Red River TEXAS Cocodrie Lake Tangipahoa Tangipahoa C B o a Whiskey River c y Chitto o ou d r Creek i r e e v i R e n i b a S P e a r Baton Rouge l *# 12 R A §¨¦ iv t e Calcasieu River c 55 r h ¨¦§ a Amite f a la River y a 10 R *# Lake § i Lake ¨¦ v Lake Pontchartrain Mermentau River e M r is Maurepas Charles sis sip pi Ri B ve a r yo Vermilion u *# New Te River ch Orleans Sabine Calcasieu Lake Grand Lake e Lake Lac Des Allemands White Lake Lake Salvador Mississippi Gulf of Mexico River Delta Map 1. Major Surface Water Basins of Louisiana1 1 BASIN OVERVIEW The MDB is located in southeastern Atchafalaya-Teche-Vermilion Basin levees along the Mississippi River and Louisiana and has an area of 8,365 to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico its distributaries. The southern MDB is square miles (Map 2).2 The MDB is to the south and east. The MDB is in the Coastal Zone, as delineated by bounded by the Lake Pontchartrain- characterized by low-lying land, with the the Louisiana Department of Natural Lake Maurepas Basin to the north, the only elevation relief provided by natural Resources (LDNR). ± Ascension Iberville 0 20 40 St. John New Orleans the Metropolitan Area Scale in Miles B St. a Assumption y Baptist o James Luling u St. Orleans L afou Charles r B ch ay St. Martin e A o l u Thibodaux Raceland le D m es Morgan an Lake B d Salvador City ay s ou Bayou B M la Cane iss St. Mary ck Lafourche is Gul sip f Int G pi racoas Jefferson ra R Wat tal Houma n iv erway d Ba er B y a ou y o Terrebonne u L a f o u Plaquemines r c h e Legend Scenic Rivers Main Waterways Lakes, Reservoirs, Canals and Other Water Features Cities Coastal Zone Boundary Mississippi River Delta Basin Parishes Map 2. Parishes, Main Waterways, and City Boundaries3 2 Thirteen parishes are either completely 550,000 or partly encompassed by the MDB (Map 2). The southern part of the New 500,000 Orleans metropolitan area, Houma, and several smaller cities are within the 450,000 MDB. Estimated total population in the 400,000 MDB in 2005 was 523,583. Table 1 shows the 2005 population distribution 350,000 Total Basin PopulationBasin Total in the MDB by parish. Figure 1 shows PopulationBasin Total historical population in the basin. 300,000 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Population in the MDB increased Year significantly in the 1960s and 1970s, but has generally remained constant since Figure 1. Historical MDB Population about 1980. Future population growth within the basin would increase the demand for high quality potable water sources. Principal economic activities in the MDB are related to oil and gas exploration and processing, but also include food processing and fertilizer manufacturing.5 Oil and gas production, petrochemical manufacturing, shipbuilding, tourism, and the arts and entertainment industries are growing in the region.6 Table 1. MDB Population by Parish in 20054 Parish Population Ascension* 11,493 Assumption 22,859 Iberville* 535 Jefferson* 175,530 Lafourche 91,433 Orleans* 41,063 Plaquemines* 22,907 St. Charles* 23,450 St. James* 8,745 St. John the Baptist* 3,655 St. Martin* 1,615 St. Mary* 14,069 Terrebonne 106,230 TOTAL 523,583 *Parish is located in more than one basin; population estimated for the area within the MDB. MDB=Mississippi River Delta Basin 3 8 LAND USE AND LEGAL ENTITIES Map 3 shows 2003 land uses in TThe MDB contains a small amount of either to surface water or groundwater. the MDB. The principal land use is land considered Prime Farmland by the Existing oil and gas infrastructure and wetlands, with some agricultural land Federal Natural Resources Conservation mineral rights holdings may present along Bayou Lafourche. Economic Service (NRCS).9 The NRCS must potential impediments to development modeling for 2020 indicates that be contacted regarding proposed of surface water resources. Table 2 forested land uses may decrease irreversible conversion of any Prime lists legal entities in the MDB that may between 10 to 20 percent in the eastern Farmland for reservoir construction affect or be affected by water resource MDB, with less reduction in the western and water storage. Many oil and gas development. MDB. Simultaneously, urban land uses fields are present throughout the basin may increase by 25 to 50 percent in the (Map 3). Oil and gas drilling can require eastern MDB, with smaller increases in large amounts of water for extraction, the western MDB.7 which then needs to be disposed, ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ± ! ! ! ! ! 0 20 40 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Scale in Miles ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Legend ! Oil/Gas Fields Developed, Low Intensity Forest Land Use Developed, Medium Intensity Natural Vegetation Open Water Developed, High Intensity Pasture or Crops Developed, Open Space Barren Wetlands Map 3. MDB Land Uses in 20038 4 Table 2. MDB Water Resources Legal Entities Legal Entity Responsibilities Regional Planning Commission for Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Planning and development in southeast Louisiana and St. Tammany Parishes South Central Planning and Development Commission Planning and development in south central Louisiana MDB=Mississippi River Delta Basin PHYSIOGRAPHIC AND CLIMATIC INFORMATION Map 4 shows general basin topography. is characterized by flat lands with is 2 feet below mean sea level. The The MDB is dominated by the Alluvial interconnecting streams that allow highest point is 44 feet above mean sea Plains physiographic region, which flow between some river basins. level, on the northern basin boundary. The lowest elevation within the MDB Basin High [_ ± 0 20 40 Scale in Miles [_ Basin Low Legend Elevation Relative to Mean Sea Level (Feet) Basin High : 44 Basin Low : -7 [ Highest/Lowest Elevation Locations Map 4. MDB Topography10 5 Soils in the MDB vary from north Average annual rainfall throughout the increases from west to east from 68 to south. In the north, soils are MDB varies geographically from 60 to to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F).12 The characterized by loamy and clayey low 65 inches per year, increasing from east average high temperature at Houma terraces and floodplains, with sandy to west.12 Figure 2 shows historical during the warmest months, July and loamy alluvial natural levees and annual precipitation at Houma, which and August, is 91°F; the average low low terraces. In the central MDB, soils tends to vary between about 40 and temperature during the coldest month, comprise brackish organic and mineral 105 inches per year, with a historical January, is 43°F.13 deltaic deposits. The southernmost average of about 63 inches per year. coastal area of the MDB has saline Average annual temperature generally organic and mineral deltaic deposits.11 120 Annual Total 100 Historical Average 80 60 40 Precipitation (inches) Precipitation 20 0 Figure 2. Historical Annual Precipitation at Houma12 WATER USE Water use in the MDB is summarized in 2005, power generation used the most Plaquemines Parish Water Works – Table 3 by sector, water type, surface surface water, totaling over 515 mgd, 7 mgd water body, and parish, as reported followed by public supply and industry.