HLS 19RS-1013 ENGROSSED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 42
BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE
ENVIRONMENT/WATER: Urges and requests the Department of Environmental Quality
to study the overall impacts of wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of
additional such projects
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request the Department of Environmental Quality to study the overall impacts
3 of wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of additional such projects.
4 WHEREAS, wetland assimilation projects, where treated wastewater is discharged
5into natural wetlands, are presented as a method to improve and nourish wetlands in a state
6of deterioration and decay through prevention of the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater
7habitats while providing nutrients to accelerate growth of vegetation and such projects have
8the additional benefit of providing a cost-savings to municipalities as they modify their
9wastewater treatment systems; and
10 WHEREAS, most of the wetland assimilation projects permitted to date have used
11waste stabilization ponds that discharge into natural wetland systems, which have been
12inappropriately deemed equivalent to secondarily treated effluent standards despite not
13meeting alternative state requirements; and
14 WHEREAS, although the Department of Environmental Quality has noted that
15wetland assimilation projects are designed for the assimilation of wastewater effluents, and
16not for the treatment of effluent, nine of the eleven permitted projects allow for higher
17discharge of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) than for
18facilities discharging into surface waters; and
19 WHEREAS, prolonged or excessive nutrient loading may adversely affect the
20assimilation area, with organic decomposition and loss of root matter contributing to
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HCR NO. 42
1decreasing soil stability and shearing outcomes that are contrary to other efforts engaged in
2by the state of Louisiana in its coastal protection and restoration efforts; and
3 WHEREAS, healthy freshwater wetlands benefit from dry periods and seasonal high
4and low water flow but continuous discharge of municipal wastewater into freshwater marsh
5or forested wetlands can cause ponding, reduced plant growth rates, reduced regeneration
6rates, and undesirable shifts in species composition resulting in loss of wetland values; and
7 WHEREAS, several organizations active in Louisiana's conservation and coastal
8protection efforts have expressed concerns about the long-term overall impacts of wetland
9assimilation projects and the continued approval of such projects without an independent
10review of the true benefits of such projects and the cumulative impacts of a multitude of such
11projects, and those organizations have requested an in-depth review of overall long-term
12benefits of these projects and an independent analysis of current projects that have
13observable wetland habitat deterioration that may not meet the program's goals to benefit
14wetlands.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
16urge and request the Department of Environmental Quality to study the overall impacts of
17wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of additional such projects and to provide a
18comprehensive program evaluation report in consultation with the Department of Natural
19Resources, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Department of Health to the
20House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on
21Natural Resources by February 1, 2020.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the
23secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 42 Engrossed 2019 Regular Session Zeringue
Urges and requests the Dept. of Environmental Quality to study the overall impacts of
wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of additional such projects and to submit a
report by Feb. 1, 2020.
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