Cain alarmed about water supply

The state's aquifers are in danger, said Sen. James David Cain, chairman of the Senate's Environmental Quality Committee.

The problem of power plants using the state's aquifers as a supply of water "is serious," said Cain Wednesday. Cain, D-Dry Creek, has written to the governor asking that he order the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to stop issuing any new permits to power plants.

Also, Cain is asking Beauregard residents to help him, by contacting the governor's office and asking him to spare the state's ground water supply from being depleted by the "merchant power plants" -- those that do not serve a particular utility company. Merchant plants generate electricity for the wholesale power market.

One of the aquifers in question is the Chicot Aquifer, used by the City of DeRidder as well as rural Beauregard and Vernon residents with backyard water wells.

"Our citizens' water wells are drying up," Cain said, noting that he recently received a call from a Pickering resident in Vernon whose well was completely dry.

Recently public protests have surfaced against a power plant being built by Cleco south of Eunice. Cleco received their permit "fair and square," Cain said, but they plan to use eight million gallons each day from the Chicot Aquifer. In July, the state DEQ granted air and water discharge permits for the planned $500 million plant. Opponents have filed suit against DEQ, claiming the agency did not follow state rules in granting the licenses.

Because of deregulation in the electrical power industry and Louisiana's available natural gas needed to fire generators and its water supply to use for cooling, power plants are flocking to Louisiana asking for permits, Cain said.

The governor's office had Cain's request, but has not had a chance to study it, said spokeswoman Marsanne Golsby. Gov. Mike Foster is concerned about the environmental issue but believes the power is needed, she said.

However, reliable data shows that the state's aquifers are being depleted and there are other alternatives for the plants, Cain said. The Dry Creek senator is asking for a halt to the permits until the Legislature has had time to develop a water policy.

Although these alternatives may be more expensive for power plants, they could leave the aquifers alone and instead use surface water, "gray" water (sewage water) or air as a coolant, he said.

"All reliable scientific data, including data provided by the Louisiana Geological Survey and the U.S. Geological Survey, definitely show that our aquifers have been depleted approximately two feet per year for the last 50 years due to over-pumping," Cain stated in his letter to Foster. "Considering that the aquifers are as shallow as 200 feet in some locations, it is clear that the aquifers are seriously stressed. No finite resource can be depleted indefinitely," he said.

However, Cain said, there is no data showing that Louisiana is experiencing an electrical shortage. An electrical shortage is doubtful since Louisiana has already permitted 13 merchant power plants. Most of these plants have no valid reason why they cannot use compressed air, surface water or gray water instead of "the scarce water from the aquifers," Cain wrote.

Not only are aquifers a source of drinking water, but additionally, industries such as timber, farming, chemical and petroleum, rely on the aquifer for water to operate their plants. Depleting the aquifer could eventually endanger thousands and thousands of industrial jobs as well as harm farmers. On the other hand, the merchant power plants consume, in some cases, the same amount or more of aquifer water than a medium size city, yet the plants provide only an average of 25 or fewer permanent full-time jobs, he added.

"I know that you will agree with us that we cannot risk the tens of thousands of jobs in timber, agriculture, chemical and petroleum industries for the sake of a handful of jobs at an electrical plant, particularly, when it has not been established that Louisiana even needs the additional electricity," Cain wrote to Foster.

Cain also asked the governor to name a water policy board or task force to formulate a water policy for the state by the 2001 regular legislative session.

In years past, Louisiana's natural resources of oil and natural gas have been squandered, Cain said, adding that he wants to avoid the same fate for the state's ground water supply.

Recently, drives to build additional plants in Washington, Lincoln and Quachita parishes, which would use underground water, have attracted opposition from some residents. Opponents say the plants would deplete dropping water tables, especially following droughts, and impair drinking water supplies.

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), September 21, 2000