Washington, D.C. – The National Governors’ Association (NGA) hailed Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster’s leadership in developing the state’s Well Information Website —“a prime example of state innovation propelling states and their citizens into the twenty-first century.” NGA will showcase the state’s advances in tracking the condition of oil and natural gas wells at NGA’s 1998 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 1-4.

The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources has teamed with the U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center and the University of Southwestern Louisiana to identify and duplicate exceptional native plants and then disperse them in the field to combat wetland loss.

Commissioner of Conservation Jim Welsh recommends that oil and gas operators with interest in developing the Haynesville Shale in Northwest Louisiana choose their water sources for use in drilling or hydraulic fracture stimulation operations wisely. Of particular interest are areas in the lower Caddo and Bossier Parishes and DeSoto Parish where the Carrizo – Wilcox aquifer is used as the main source of drinking water supply for domestic and public water supplies.

Commissioner of Conservation Jim Welsh recommends that oil and gas operators with interest in developing the Haynesville Shale in Northwest Louisiana choose their water sources for use in drilling or hydraulic fracture stimulation operations wisely. Of particular interest are areas in the lower Caddo and Bossier Parishes and DeSoto Parish where the Carrizo – Wilcox aquifer is used as the main source of drinking water supply for domestic and public water supplies. Data reported by the USGS indicates that the Carrizo – Wilcox aquifer system is a low yield aquifer system that generally produces water suitable for drinking water purposes which has been and is currently being used predominately for domestic and public water supply in mostly rural areas of Northwest Louisiana. However, water production from the aquifer system is reported to be physically restricted due to the aquifer’s discontinuous nature and typically thin, lenticular and fine textured sand beds.