Commissioner of Conservation James H. "Jim" Welsh has declared today three areas in North Louisiana within the Sparta Aquifer as areas of groundwater concern. “With implementation of this order, this will be the first time for state government to come to the plate and step into the role of assuring future groundwater usage in Louisiana,” the Commissioner said.

In 2001, Act 446 gave the state authority to regulate groundwater usage on a statewide basis. The Sparta Groundwater Conservation District submitted a petition to the state to have areas of the Sparta Aquifer evaluated because of studies that showed water levels in the aquifer had declined.

Since that time, the state Office of Conservation has reviewed, evaluated, and documented water usage and water levels which resulted in the issuance of an order on April 28, 2005 by the Commissioner of Conservation identifying three areas within the Sparta which were experiencing excessive water level declines.

The Commissioner’s action today results from authority in Act 49 of 2003, and through new legislation, Act 225 of this year, that allows for special requirements to be placed on certain groundwater users so that remedial conservation measures are taken to assure sustainability of the aquifers of the state.

The Order issued, No. AGC-1-05, effective August 15, 2005, designates portions of Ouachita, Lincoln, Jackson, and Bienville parishes as “areas of groundwater concern”. Welsh said the recovery measures are needed due to the high volumes of groundwater being withdrawn from the Sparta Aquifer.

"This shows the seriousness of preservation efforts toward this valuable natural resource,” Welsh noted. The Order identifies three areas of groundwater concern in the Monroe-West Monroe, Ruston, and Jonesboro-Hodge areas of north Louisiana.

According to the Commissioner, there are three primary conditions in the regulatory order, none, however, require curtailing use of the aquifer at present time. The following requirements in the Order are:

1. an aggressive water conservation education program should be conducted
2. owners of non-domestic Sparta water wells shall submit a monthly water usage report to the Office of Conservation, including static water level readings when available
3. alternative sources of potable water should be vigorously pursued to alleviate excess usage of Sparta groundwater

Anthony J. Duplechin, Jr., Director of the Office of Conservation's Ground Water Resources Division, said that the monthly groundwater monitoring requirement will give needed real-time information on the Sparta Aquifer water levels and groundwater usage, and will enable staff to measure and evaluate the effects and results of the other two remedial action requirements. Duplechin also noted that while withdrawal restrictions on Sparta users have not been imposed at this time, the Commissioner does have authority to do so on a case by case basis should future conditions warrant it.

The Order No. AGC-1-05 is available in this pdf file.