Houseboats on Ouachita River

Houseboats Refuse to Utilize Dumping Station on the Ouachita River

During my filming of the documentary “Dishonorable Discharge”, it was brought to my attention by several concerned local residents that houseboats on the Ouachita River were dumping raw untreated sewage directly into the river.

The City of Monroe, Louisiana has constructed a dumping station at Forsythe Park funded by grants from the Environmental Protection Agency. The station is located where the Twin City Queen was docked for many years, and the signs state it is the property of the City of Monroe, Louisiana. The enforcement of dumping raw sewage in the river, a Federal Law according to the signage, is regulated by the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries and the U.S. Coast Guard.

After much research I have found the dumping facility has sat idle since its construction. The fees are one dollar to use the station and you are required to fill out a brief form and make arrangements in advance so the unit can be unlocked. The operators of the station are the City of Monroe, Louisiana - Public Works Department and according to data, I have found not once have they filled out the required paperwork that is supposed to be forwarded to the EPA.

I spoke with representatives of the Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries and they stated they had no standing to enforce the federal law. I then contacted the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and got a similar response. Calls and emails to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, EPA Region Six as well as the U.S. Coast Guard were not returned, so I have no clear answer on why this practice has been allowed to continue when our tax dollars have been spent to prevent this behavior, or why no one has the authority to enforce Federal Law that is in the best interest of public health.

While on the river filming, I noticed a houseboat for sale at the docking area located on Bayou D’Arbonne just before it connects with the Ouachita River. Within a few days, I made contact with the owner. We set up a time to meet at his boat so I could look the boat over, as an interested party looking to purchase the boat. During my visit, I specifically asked the gentleman how large the sewage holding tank on the boat was. His reply almost sent chills down my spine - “You don’t have to worry about that for at least five years; very few of the boats here or at the Moon Lake Marina even have holding tanks. The sewage is dumped directly into the river. I am not saying this is right, but that’s just the way it is.” His boat was equipped with all other modern conveniences including ship to shore radio, satellite TV, and air conditioning. If a houseboat owner can afford those items but doesn’t have a sewage holding tank or dumps it responsibly, then they should be required to dry dock the craft until they are in compliance.

My concerns became even greater when I researched the average amount of sewage the normal person puts out per day and multiplied it by the number of houseboats currently docked in Ouachita Parish alone. According to the data, I found the average person generates somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred gallons of sewage per day so after you do the math you will find it presents a formidable problem that needs addressing immediately. There is a new group being formed now in Ouachita Parish that will address these issues, the Ouachita River Preservation Society. Save the Ouachita, an El Dorado, Arkansas non-profit organization had an opportunity to address this situation and they refused to get involved; however, they were planning a public meeting and membership drive here in Ouachita Parish concerning the proposed El Dorado Pipeline Project.

For additional information and keeping the concerns of Louisiana residents foremost, you can contact the Ouachita River Preservation Society on the Internet at http://www.ouachitariverps.org . The Delta Sportsman Outdoors’ radio program on KMLB 1440AM (The Radio People) airs on Saturday mornings from 7- 9am and they have been involved in discussions concerning this situation. Corey Crowe and Jackie Howard have vowed to ask the hard questions on why our tax dollars are being spent on such an ineffective program.

© Keith Skinner - 2005 - All Rights Reserved - Originally Published in Louisiana Road Trips Magazine