Jean Byers, director of the Baker Heritage Museum, discusses salt-water intrusion with civil engineer and contractor, Hays Town. (PHOTO/Patt Roberson)
Town’s PowerPoint presentation showed the region of the Southern Hills Aquifer as covering an area from Jackson, Miss., on the north, the Mississippi River on the west, Pearl River on the east and Gulf of Mexico on the south.
The Baton Rouge fault runs between LSU and downtown and holds back much of the salt water migrating northward into the layers of the aquifer.
Baker has four water wells that use this aquifer. Since the installation of water meters, residents are doing their part to save water and are mindful to conservative usage.
Town’s report points out that the Southern Hills Aquifer is in danger of being incapable of sustaining itself, that is, to provide fresh drinking water, under anticipated future pumpage rates.
If industry could change from the use of ground water to the use of river water, the useful life of the ground water aquifers would be extended over 50 years and possibly to a sustainable state serving the people of East Baton Rouge and nearby parishes, Eugene Owen, executive chairman of Baton Rouge Water Co., said in 2010.
In his adversarial role, Town said that saltwater intrusion is due to over-pumping practices in area industries. Without the aquifer, our only option for drinking water is to treat Mississippi River water, he said.
The Capital Area Groundwater Conservation Commission’s board will discuss possible solutions on Tuesday, March 19, at its 3535 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. office.
Among those attending were 15 Baker High School and 15 Baker Middle School students, identified as outstanding science students. They were accompanied by Dr. DeEtte Perry, director of secondary education, and Kelly Haynes, high-school science teacher and sponsor of the Anchor Club.
Heritage Museum and the Baker Fire Department sponsored the free jambalaya lunch and all the trimmings, prepared by Fire Chief Danny Edwards.
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