Water resources of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana

Abstract

Information concerning the availability, use, and quality of water in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, is critical for proper water-supply management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present information that can be used by water managers, parish residents, and others for stewardship of this vital resource. In 2014, about 46.99 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) of water were withdrawn in St. Martin Parish, including about 35.91 Mgal/d from groundwater sources and 11.08 Mgal/d from surface-water sources. Withdrawals for agricultural use, composed of aquaculture (32.28 Mgal/d), rice irrigation (6.44 Mgal/d), general irrigation (2.38 Mgal/d), and livestock uses (0.06 Mgal/d), accounted for about 88 percent (41.16 Mgal/d) of the total water withdrawn. Other categories of use included public supply, which accounted for about 10 percent (4.83 Mgal/d), rural domestic, which accounted for about 2 percent (0.81 Mgal/d), and industry, which accounted for less than 1 percent (0.18 Mgal/d). Water-use data collected at 5-year intervals from 1960 to 2010 and again in 2014 indicate that water withdrawals in St. Martin Parish peaked in 1985 at more than 68 Mgal/d.