Conservationists pumped about government focus on B.R. aquifer

Saltwater intrusion into the Southern Hills Aquifer via a southeast salt dome has been a concern among activists and the Baton Rouge Water Co. for decades, but no state authority has officially addressed the infiltration with a serious plan until now. About two weeks ago, the state Office of Conservation formally requested that the Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission—created in 1974 by the state Legislature to manage the aquifer—recognize that the aquifer is in an unsustainable condition and begin discussing possible solutions, starting March 19. “Yes, this is the most traction that it’s ever had,” says Eugene Owen, executive chairman of the Baton Rouge Water Co., regarding the issue of the aquifer’s condition. At the same time, Owen says, the water company will begin building this year a “scavenger well” and pipeline to extract the denser saltwater from the freshwater aquifer and pump it to a discharge station on the Mississippi River north of Baton Rouge and industry. Owen says the diversion would serve the 1,500-foot sands of the aquifer, noting it is composed of different layers of sand that are known for the depths at which they are found. “We believe this will give us at least a 50-year window on sustaining the viability of these wells,” Owen says. Aquifer activist Hays Town, who formed Baton Rouge Citizens to Save Our Water Inc., says that while this is the “most movement ever” made by both governmental agencies to address saltwater intrusion, the real problem lies in industry’s draw from the aquifer. “The ideal solution is for industry to use river water,” Town says. —Adam Pearson