East LA With the Flow Report for the Week of May 22 - May 28, 2023

Archive of river flows, floods, spills and boil advisories by watershed region in the eastern drainage area of Louisiana

Find your location in the east drainage area Regions 3, 6, 7, and 8:

Table updated June 4, 2023

Region 3

The Tensas River originates in East Carroll Parish flowing in and out of Lake Providence in northeast Louisiana.  The Tensas drainage basin begins in Arkansas just south of Little Rock and widens out in Louisiana to drain East Carroll Parish, Madison Parish and Tensas Parish on the east side of Region 3.

Ouachita River drains central portion of Region 3, Corney Bayou and tributaries draining the west side. 

Flows

Tensas River drains an area of 957 sq miles of Tensas Parish. Normal flows

• At Tendal, around 1000 cfs and 18 ft deep (flood stage 25 ft);
• SE of Tendal, around 16 ft;
• South of Newlight (USGS 07369649) flow is unrated, we see this at around 43 feet deep; (updated 03/21/23)

Bayou Macon drains an area of 782 square miles in Richland Parish. Normal flows

• near Kilbourne, unrated, we see around 140 cfs and 7 ft deep;
• near Delhi, unrated, 7.5 ft deep (updated 03/21/23)

Bayou Bartholemew drains an area of 1190 sq miles in Morehouse Parish. The flow

• NW of Jones is unrated, we see it at over 21 ft deep;
• Near Jones a normal flow is under 5000 cfs and 24 ft deep (updated 03/21/23)

Boeuf River drains an area of 1226 square miles of Richland Parish. The flow

• at Arkansas/Louisiana state line is unrated, this station has been recorded at 470 cfs and 4.8 ft deep;
• near Girard a normal flow is over 25 cfs and 6 ft deep. (updated 03/21/23)

 Ouachita River drains an area of 15298 sq miles of Ouachita Parish. The flow

• At Sterlington flow is unrated, we have seen recordings 70 ft deep
• near West Monroe is unrated, we have seen 52900 cfs and 35 ft deep when the conditions in the area are average (updated 03/21/23)

 Little Corney Bayou drains an area of 208 sq miles of Union Parish.  Normal flow near Lillie (USGS 07366200) is around 200 cfs and 5.4 ft deep (updated 03/21/23)

 Bayou Lafourche drains an area of 361 sq miles in Richland Parish. Normal flows

• near Crew Lake around 725 cfs and 12 ft deep;

• near Alto, 48 ft deep. (updated 03/21/23)

Bayou Darbonne drains an area of 1607 sq miles in Union Parish. Normal flow at the Lake at Dam near Downsville is unrated, we have seen it measured at over 40 ft deep (flood stage 83 ft). (updated 03/21/23)

Low Flows (1), High Flows (0) Floods (0) June 4, 2023 8 am CDT

Chemin-A-Haute-Bayou is flowing low near Beekman - 7.24 feet deep at .07 cubic feet per second

Drinking Water Advisories (7)

May 20 -   Bastrop – (Morehouse) Boil Advisory issued by the Jones McGinty Water System for all customers, due to problems with the water on Old Bonita Road. As a precaution, the Jones McGinty Water System is issuing a boil advisory effective immediately. It is recommended that all consumers disinfect their water before consuming it. To disinfect water, boil it for one full minute in a clean container. The one minute starts after the water has been brought to a rolling boil.

May 18 - D’Arbonne (Union) Boil Water Advisory issued by the D’Arbonne Water North for customers in Union Parish due to a break in the water main and loss of water. The advisory concentrates on the following locations: Charles Road, So. Caledonia Road, Mt. Moriah Church Road, 2545 to 4322 E. Stateline Road, Rashia Road, 80 Mike Taylor Road, Hall Pratt Road

May 18 - Central Claiborne Water System (Claiborne) - A boil advisory has been issued by Central Claiborne Water System for some customers in Claiborne Parish due to suspected contamination of the water supply. The water has, or could have, germs that can make you sick. People on the who live in the following areas are urged to boil their water before using it: White Oak Rd, White Oak Cut Off, Ruple Rd from White Oak Rd to Camp Rd, Slaughter Rd and Hwy 79.

May 15 – River Road Water Works (Richland)- Boil Water Advisory issued by the River Road Water Works for some customers in Richland Parish including: Pony Greer Road, Pipes Greer Road, Blaylock Road, Bee Bayou Road south of I-20.

May 10 – Bastrop (Morehouse) Boil Water Advisory issued by Waterworks No. 1 water system for customers on Mer Rouge Road including Timber’s Trailer Park heading west on Mer Rouge Road, north onto Peach Orchard Road to 9950 Peach Orchard Road. This advisory will continue until further notice.

Apr 25 - Columbia (Caldwell) Boil Water Advisory issued by the East Columbia Water System for customers on Rodeo Road, Highway 133, Bellview Lane Highway 4 from Highway 133 and the remaining portion of the system going south.

April 11 – Monticello (East Carroll)  Boil Water Advisory issued by Monticello Water System due to a water main break. This boil advisory covers the Monticello and Epps area.

Hazardous Algae Bloom (0)

Spills (4)

• May 1 - unknown amount of sewage reported leaking from a private yard and standing in nearby ditches on Hanna St in Gilbert - Franklin
• May 3 - unknown amounts of wastewater reported spilled from the drain line being dug into on Highway 2 in Ouachita - Sterlington
• April 25 - unknown amounts of sediment reported spilled from a new pit construction site at Northeast Louisiana Sand and Gravel on Fannin Rd in West Monroe – Ouachita
• May 1 - unknown amount of sewage reported leaking from a private yard and standing in nearby ditches on Hanna St in Gilbert - Franklin

Region 6  

Draining parts of Pointe Coupee Parish (centre), West Baton Rouge Parish, Iberville Parish, a tiny corner of Iberia Parish (southeast), a wee slice of west Ascension Parish, all of Assumption Parish, the south parts of St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes, the eastern-most parts of St. Martin and St. Mary Parishes, all of Terrebonne Parish, all of Lafourche Parish, the south half of St. Charles Parish, the south part of Jefferson Parish, the west side of Plaquemines Parish and a tiny corner of Orleans Parish.

Flows

Lower Atchafalaya River

• at Morgan City flow is unrated, commonly 160,000 cfs and 4 ft deep (flood stage 6 ft)
• at the mouth, Atchafalaya Bay, unrated 3.5 feet deep (updated 04-05-23)

Bayou Grand Caillou drains an area of Terrebonne Parish. The flow at

• Dulac flow is unrated, around 500 cfs and under a foot deep at some tidal stages (updated 04-05-23)

Bayou Boeuf flow at Railroad Bridge at Amelia, flow is unrated, commonly 15000 cfs and can be 2.5 ft deep (updated 04-05-23)

Bayou Teche drains an area of 1530 sq miles in St. Martin Parish. The flow

• at Keystone L&D near St. Martinville normal flow is 400 cfs and can be 10 ft deep depending on the tidal stage.
• at Adeline Bridge near Jeanerette is unrated, 1300 cfs and 2.5 ft deep.
• At Arnaudville, unrated, 2 ft deep;
• east of Calumet floodgate, unrated, 3 ft deep (updated 04-05-23)

Bayou Lafourche drains an area of Lafourche Parish. The flow at

• SW of Donaldsonville is unrated, can be 7 ft deep;
• At Napoleonville, unrated, 5 ft deep.
• At Thibodaux, normal flow is 3.40 cfs and 2.15 ft deep; (updated 04-05-23)

Low Flows (0) High Flows (0), Floods (0)

Drinking Water Advisories (1)

May 26 -   Pierre Part (Assumption) – Boil water advisory issued by Assumption Parish for customers in Pierre Part due to a large water main break which has knocked out water service.  Water officials for the Parish say all who have experienced a water outage will remain under a precautionary boil water advisory until results from water quality tests are returned from a state lab.

Hazardous Algae Blooms (4)  as of June 4, 2023

Composited Cyanobacteria Index as reported by National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, a visual scale based on true color imagery from the Copernicus- Sentinel 3a satelitte of the EUMETSAT June 3

Lac des Allemands shows small localized bloom along the west shore at 1.5 million cells per 100 ml with high bloom activity 1 million per 100ml in much of the open water areas

Bayou Fortier shows widespread lake-wide bloom activity in the high range 1 million cells per 100 ml

Lake Palourde shows lakewide high bloom activity corresponding to 1 million cells per 100 ml with a broadening open water band of bloom activity concentrated from the west shore through the middle of the water body corresponding to 2 million cells per 100 ml on the color scale

Lake Verret shows widespread lake-wide bloom activity at the high scale - 1 million cells per 100 ml with a band of higher bloom activity corresponding to 2 million cells per 100 ml from the north to the south through the middle of the lake

Spills (1)

• May 13 - unknown amounts of oil contaminated water reported spilled to water from a leaking slop tank at Dock 1 at Mississippi River in Garyville - St John

Region 7  

Draining parts of West Feliciana, East Feliciana Parishes, all of St. Helena Parish, all of Tangipahoa Parish, all of Washington Parish, all of East Baton Rouge Parish, all of Livingston Parish, all of St. Tammany Parish, part of Iberville, part of Ascension Parish, St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles Parishes.

Flows

Mississippi River drains an area of 1,125,810 square miles of the USA and parts of Central Canada. The flow

• at Baton Rouge flow is unrated, around 700,000 cfs and 28 ft deep, temp and conductance are measured here

Pearl River drains an area of sq miles in Parish. The flow

• Near Bogalusa, normal flow is around 12000 cfs and 16 ft deep (flood stage 18ft)
• At Pools Bluff near Bogalusa is unrated, commonly measured at 60 ft deep;
• At Navigation Canal Lock and Dam No. 3 is unrated, 27 ft deep;
• At Navigation Canal Lock and Dam No. 2 is unrated, 26 ft deep;
• At Navigation Canal Lock and Dam No. 1 is unrated, commonly 23 ft deep;
• At Pearl River, unrated flow measures around 13 ft deep (flood stage 14 ft)
• At NSTL station, discharge 1680 cfs and 4.5 ft deep.
• At I-10 near Slidell, unrated flow is around 6.5 ft deep in normal conditions (flood stage 10 ft)
• (updated 04-06-23)

Bogue Chitto drains an area of 990 sq miles in Washington Parish. The flow

• At Franklinton, flow is unrated, 1.5 ft deep (flood stage 12 ft)
• Near Bush normal flow is 1500 cfs and 4.5 ft deep (flood stage 11 ft). (updated 02/17/23)

Tangipahoa River drains an area of 646 sq miles in Tangipahoa Parish. The flow

• At Osyka, MS flow is unrated, during average conditions we see this flow around 200 cfs and 8.5 ft deep, (flood stage 10ft);
• near Kentwood is unrated, 2.5 ft deep (flood stage 13 ft);
• near Amite is unrated, often around 5.5 ft deep when all other stations are normal (flood stage 21 ft);
• at Robert normal flow is around 700 cfs and 8 ft deep (flood stage 15 ft);
• near Ponchatoula, unrated, 6.5 ft deep (updated 04-06-23)

Natalbany River drains an area of 79.5 sq miles in Tangipahoa Parish. The flow

• at Baptist a normal flow is less than 800 cfs and 10 ft deep (flood stage 16 ft) (updated 03-06-23)

Tickfaw River drains a 247 sq mile area in Livingston Parish. The flow

• At Liverpool a normal flow is less than 2000 cfs and 7 ft deep (flood stage 9 ft)
• At Montpelier, the flow is unrated, hits around 1300 cfs and 7.5 when surrounding stations are measuring normal flows ft deep (flood stage 13 ft);
• at Holden, normal flow is around 900 cfs and 5 ft deep. (flood stage 15 ft) (updated 04-06-23)

Lake Pontchartrain at Crossover 4 near Mandeville, 11 ft deep (updated 04-06-23)

Tchefuncte River drains an area of 103 sq miles of St. Tammany Parish. The flow

• near Folsom, normal flow is 100 cfs and 6 ft deep (flood stage 16 ft)
• near Covington is unrated, 14.36 ft deep (flood stage 20ft)
• at Madisonville, flow is unrated, tidal effects, can be measured around 1 ft (updated 04-06-23)

Comite River drains an area of 284 sq miles of East Feliciana Parish and East Baton Rouge Parish. The flow

• near Olive Branch is unrated, a tidal estuary ranging from under a foot deep to 7 ft deep (flood stage 19 ft)
• near Baker, unrated,  a tidal estuary ranging from under a foot deep to 7 ft deep
• At Pt. Hudson-Pride Rd near Milldale flow is unrated, around 100 cfs and 13 ft deep.
• near Zachary, unrated tidal flow ranging from under a foot to 15 ft deep
• near Comite, normal flow is seen at 100 cfs and ranges from under a foot to 12 ft deep. (flood stage 20 ft)
• at Comite Dr near Baton Rouge, unrated, tidal flow ranges from under a foot to 5 ft deep.
• At Hooper Rd near Baton Rouge is unrated, tidal flow ranges from under a foot to 7 ft deep (updated 04-06-23)

Beaver Bayou drains an area in East Baton Rouge Parish. Flow at

• At Denham Rd near Baton Rouge flow is unrated, 60 ft deep;
• At Wax Rd near Baton Rouge is unrated, 27 ft deep;
• At Hooper Rd near Baton Rouge is unrated, tidal water goes from under a foot to 5 ft deep (updated 04-06-23)

Amite River drains an area of 1775 sq miles of East Baton Rouge. The flow

• near Darlington, normal flow is below 8000 cfs and 9 ft deep; (flood stage 18 ft)
• at Grangeville, flow is unrated, 27 ft deep (flood stage 35 ft);
• at Magnolia, unrated 35 ft deep (flood stage 48 ft)
• near Denham Springs normal flow is 1000 cfs and 12 ft deep (flood stage 29 ft deep)
• near French Settlement, unrated, tidal water depth can be 1.5 ft deep, (flood stage 4ft)
• at Hwy 22 near Maurepas, unrated tidal water around 2 ft deep, (flood stage 4 ft)
• at Port Vincent, normal flow is around 1000 cfs and 2 ft deep. (updated 04-05-23)

Low Flows (0) High Flows (0) Floods (0)

Drinking Water Advisories (3)

May 22 -   Alton (St Tammany) Boil Water Advisory issued by the Alton Water System (PWS LA1103145) which will shut off service for at least 15 hours to conduct an inspection of the water well and perform a cleaning and inspection of the water storage tank. The interruption is not anticipated to exceed 24 hours, but customers will be under a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory until water samples are collected and cleared by the Louisiana Department of Health Laboratory. The Alton Water System is a single-source system, and there is no backup source of water at this time.

May 7 -Tangipahoa (Tangipahoa) – Boil Water Advisory issued by the Village of Tangipahoa.  All  residents are being advised to boil their water due to a problem at the community well.

May 1 - Lake Hills Water System (St. Tammany) - Boil Water Advisory issued by St. Tammany Department of Utilities for the Lake Hills Water System LA 1103128.  The water service has been shut off to perform a routine inspection and cleaning of the water storage tank. Out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with Louisiana Department of Health regulations, the entire Lake Hills Water System is under a precautionary boil water advisory. It is recommended that all consumers disinfect their water before consuming it (including fountain drinks), making ice, brushing teeth, or using it for food preparation or rinsing of foods

Hazardous Algae Blooms (2) June 4 7:00 am CDT

Composited Cyanobacteria Index as reported by National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, a visual scale based on true color imagery from the Copernicus- Sentinel 3a satellite of the EUMETSAT June 3

Lake Pontchartrain a large localized bloom along the northwest shoreline consistent with the high algal bloom activity matching 2.5 million cells per 100 ml on the color scale - an open water bloom from mid-lake to the northwest in the high range 1 million cells per 100ml - localized bloom activity in the southwest at the high level over 1 million cells per 100ml

Lake Maurepas shows bloom activity along the west shoreline in the high range consistent with 2 million cells per 100ml by the color scale - open water bloom activity on the west side is consistent with 1 million cells per 100 ml on the color scale

Spills (2)

• May 11 - unknown amount of sewage reported spilled from a sewage treatment plant along Highway 22 in Ponchatoula - Tangipahoa - chlorine tablets used and added to everyday operation
• May 15 - unknown amount of aluminum cans reported sunk into the Bogue Chitto River affecting the catfish off Choctaw Rd in Bogalusa - Washington

Region 8  

Draining parts of St. Charles, Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes

Water Bodies include Lake Ponchartrain, Rigolets Strait, Lake Borgne

Flows

Mississippi River drains an area of 1,129,910 sq miles of USA and Central Canada. Flow measured in Region 8

• at Bonnet Carre Spillway, unrated, 12.5 ft deep;
• At New Orleans, unrated, 9.5 ft
• At Belle Chase, normal flow is 700,000 cfs and 12 ft deep
• At Venice, flow is unrated, commonly 5.5 ft deep. (updated 04-05-23)

Crooked Bayou (estuary) drains an area of Plaquemines Parish. The flow NW of Lake Cuatro Caballo near Delacroix is unrated, tidal estuary ranges from under a foot to 3 ft, temp and conductance are measured here (updated 04-05-23)

Black Bay (estuary) near Stone Island, near Pointe-a-la-Hache is unrated, can be less than a foot deep depending on the tide; temp and conductance are measured here. (updated 04-05-23)

 Floods (0)

Drinking Water Advisories (0)

Spills (0)

• No new spill incident reports found from April 21 – May 21, 2023

Report Key:

WTLA reports federal, state and regional source data on stream flows, groundwater levels, oil and other hazardous materials spill incidents by watershed, along with reporting hazardous algae blooms, algal toxin alerts at recreational freshwater bodies and in drinking water reservoirs.  Information in this report is presented in the watershed area of occurrence, based on the location given by the source.

Flows: 

With The Flow describes Louisiana rivers, bayous and tributaries from headwaters to outlet.  Locate your “home body” (the river or bayou nearest where you live) to see where the flow originates, how high it has to be for minor flooding to occur.  Log in to USGS Waterwatch current streamflow for real time measurements at the monitoring station nearest you and sign up there for high flow alerts.

Flow volume can change rapidly during storms and rain events.   Streamflow data is subject to review as sensors at the monitoring stations do malfunction from time to time.   Refer to USGS Provisional Date Statement for more information.

Groundwater Monitor: USGS Groundwater Watch site has been removed, groundwater test wells are no longer measured and posted.  WTGA will bring updates as USGS upgrades their monitoring system.

Impaired Water Bodies (IWB) 303d List

The Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) Program provides a mechanism for integration of implementation efforts to restore and protect the nation’s aquatic resources. Through this process the nation’s waters are assessed, restoration and protection objectives are systematically prioritized, and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and alternative approaches are adaptively implemented to achieve water quality goals with collaboration of State and Federal agencies, tribes, the regulated community, and the public.

New Vision of the CWA 303(d) Program

A new long-term vision for assessment, restoration, and protection under the CWA 303(d) Program for 2016 through 2022 (new vision) has been described whereby states may identify and prioritize watersheds for these restoration and protection efforts under the CWA 303(d) Program. The primary goals of this new vision of the CWA 303(d) Program include prioritization, assessment, protection, alternatives, engagement, and integration. The new vision will guide the realization of our clean water goals in a manner that recognizes lessons learned from the past two decades of CWA 303(d) Program implementation and addresses new challenges with innovative solution.

Drinking Water Advisories

• Posted by watershed

Hazardous Algae Blooms (HABs) Beach Alerts

Cyanobacteria are commonly referred to as ­blue-green algae; dense accumulations of toxin-producing cyanobacteria are referred to as “hazardous algae blooms”.  Toxins may be present both before and after cyanobacteria are observed.  WTLA posts the latest HABs reports around the state in the watersheds where they are occur.

Spills

Spill Emergency: 

Call Louisiana State Police 1-225-925-6595 within 1 hour of the spill incident.

call LSP HAZ MAT hotline 1-877-925-6595 or 225-925-6595

*The hazardous materials hot line is staffed by the Right-to-Know Unit and is the reporting point to the LSP for a chemical spill or emergency. Any transporter, manufacturer, storage facility, or anyone involving the handling of any regulated hazardous material must contact the LSP immediately to report any spillage or threat to public safety.

National Response Center (NRC) at 1-800-424-8802

24-hour emergency line staffed by US Coast Guard for oil spills on water.

An emergency spill situation is defined as any condition that could reasonably be expected to endanger the health and safety of the public or cause significant adverse impact to the environment.

For non-emergency spills:

Call Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 24 hour Hotline 1-225-342-1234

Or, SPOC office line  1-225-219-3640 (within 24 hours of the spill, follow up with a written report in 7 days)

_DEQ-CustomerServiceCenter@la.gov

WTLA gathers data from LA DEQ, LADH, USGS WaterWatch, USGS Groundwater Watch, the National Weather Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sources.  Our accuracy is dependent on these sources. 

End Notes:

Louisiana's oil spill rules generally follow the federal standards.

Any unauthorized spills of one barrel (42 gallons) of oil or more is considered the reportable amount.  These and spills of unknown amount must be reported to DEQ within 24 hours, or in the case of an emergency event, see above, call State Police immediately.

All reportable spills (emergency or not) must be followed up within 7 days with a written report.  Consult with LA DEQ for guidance on detailing your spill incident, check the national requirements for reporting oil spills, and LA release notification requirements.  Seek out information on Spill Prevention Planning.

 “oil” includes but is not limited to: gasoline, crude oil, fuel oil, diesel oil, lubricating oil, sludge, oil refuse, oil mixed with wastes, and any other petroleum related product.

“chemical” spills include all toxic substances, note “Any transporter, manufacturer, storage facility, or anyone involving the handling of any regulated hazardous material must contact the LSP immediately to report any spillage or threat to public safety.”  Refer to LA Department of Health Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology page for more information on reporting (https://ldh.la.gov/page/834)

Note that all spills must be cleaned up, whether or not they are reportable.

The OEC Surveillance Division protects the citizens of the state by conducting inspections of permitted and non-permitted facilities, by responding to environmental incidents such as unauthorized releases, spills and citizen complaints, natural disasters, and other emergency situations, by providing compliance assistance to the regulated community when appropriate, by assessing and monitoring air and water quality for compliance with standards, and by promoting case information management for vigorous and timely resolution of issues of non-compliance.