ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 42
BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Department of Environmental Quality to study the overall impacts
of wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of additional such projects.
WHEREAS, wetland assimilation projects, where treated wastewater is discharged
into natural wetlands, are presented as a method to improve and nourish wetlands in a state
of deterioration and decay through prevention of the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater
habitats while providing nutrients to accelerate growth of vegetation and such projects have
the additional benefit of providing a cost-savings to municipalities as they modify their
wastewater treatment systems; and
WHEREAS, most of the wetland assimilation projects permitted to date have used
waste stabilization ponds that discharge into natural wetland systems, which have been
inappropriately deemed equivalent to secondarily treated effluent standards despite not
meeting alternative state requirements; and
WHEREAS, although the Department of Environmental Quality has noted that
wetland assimilation projects are designed for the assimilation of wastewater effluents, and
not for the treatment of effluent, nine of the eleven permitted projects allow for higher
discharge of biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) than for
facilities discharging into surface waters; and
WHEREAS, prolonged or excessive nutrient loading may adversely affect the
assimilation area, with organic decomposition and loss of root matter contributing to
decreasing soil stability and shearing outcomes that are contrary to other efforts engaged in
by the state of Louisiana in its coastal protection and restoration efforts; and
WHEREAS, healthy freshwater wetlands benefit from dry periods and seasonal high
and low water flow but continuous discharge of municipal wastewater into freshwater marsh
Page 1 of 2 HCR NO. 42 ENROLLED
or forested wetlands can cause ponding, reduced plant growth rates, reduced regeneration
rates, and undesirable shifts in species composition resulting in loss of wetland values; and
WHEREAS, several organizations active in Louisiana's conservation and coastal
protection efforts have expressed concerns about the long-term overall impacts of wetland
assimilation projects and the continued approval of such projects without an independent
review of the true benefits of such projects and the cumulative impacts of a multitude of such
projects, and those organizations have requested an in-depth review of overall long-term
benefits of these projects and an independent analysis of current projects that have
observable wetland habitat deterioration that may not meet the program's goals to benefit
wetlands.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Environmental Quality to study the overall impacts of
wetland assimilation projects prior to approval of additional such projects and to provide a
comprehensive program evaluation report in consultation with the Department of Natural
Resources, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Department of Health to the
House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee on
Natural Resources by February 1, 2020.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to the
secretary of the Department of Environmental Quality.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
Page 2 of 2