“Washita”, the River of Sparkling Water
With its rich history and exquisite beauty, the Ouachita River remains one of the most sought after recreation destinations in northeast Louisiana. Aside from offering the residents of Northeast Louisiana a recreation venue, it remains a vital part of the economic development of the communities it meanders through.
Just north of the Louisiana state line there are efforts underway which will, if successful, dump twenty million gallons of effluent discharge per day, from three El Dorado Arkansas industries as well as the City of El Dorado Waste Water Treatment Plants into the Ouachita River. The proposed nine mile, thirty-six inch, pipeline will be buried in the riverbed without any benefit of treatment other than dilution. The City of El Dorado, for all practical purposes, will be the owner of the pipeline & even more alarming is a clause in the permit application which would allow the city of El Dorado to add additional industries to the pipeline in the future.
A recent assessment of the proposed project was performed by Dr. Clifford Randall, PhD. “In summary, it is my professional judgment that the currently proposed pipeline project represents a potential threat to the Ouachita River aquatic environment, and several changes need to be made before it would be environmentally acceptable. Unfortunately, the major changes needed to make the pipeline acceptable are not in the economic best interest of the City of El Dorado, whereas the pipeline is critically needed by the industry to enable their survivals – I found the proposed implementation approach to be seriously flawed and am convinced that the proposed plan, even if accurately implemented, will result in significant harm to the water quality of the Ouachita River downstream of the pipeline outfall.”
The Ouachita River has been designated as Louisiana Natural & Scenic River from the Louisiana state line 22 miles down river, ending on the north bank of Bayou Bartholomew in Morehouse Parish. The first sampling station on the river in Louisiana is at Sterlington. No industry exists on the area designated as Natural & Scenic up river from this point to the state line. I believe this area is one of the most beautiful on the entire river.
Morehouse Parish Police Juror, Jerry Johnston, posed this solution: “If this water is not harmful, why not recirculate and reuse it? If the water quality is acceptable to dump into the river, then it should be reused. Our Sparta Aquifer is being depleted at alarming rates due to industry use. In my opinion, this would alleviate concerns on both fronts.”
The Ouachita River Preservation Society, has stated publicly many times that the group will work to help find the funding to replace the antiquated waste water treatment facility as hard as they will work in opposition of this proposed project.
A wonderful example of what could be achieved in the best interest of all concerned is Savannah Georgia’s Phinizy Swamp. Faced with a myriad of new clean water regulations they opted to build a constructed wetlands facility that naturally removes the harmful pollutants to stay within the more rigid guidelines set forth by the EPA.
The facility has received many accolades for their work at Phinizy Swamp and it is considered a model for the future of wastewater treatment. The facility also includes a nature park and a living classroom for students for Pre-K to graduate students, through the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy.
If this project is ever brought to fruition the long term effects it will pose will be grave not only for north Louisiana but the Gulf of Mexico, the Ouachita River is an estuary of the Gulf of Mexico
© Keith Skinner - 2005 - All Rights Reserved - Originally Published in Louisiana Road Trips Magazine